Jakarta — Askolani, Director General of Customs and Excise at Indonesia's Ministry of Finance, recently stated publicly that illegally imported used clothing flowing into the domestic market comes mainly from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. He made the remarks during a working visit to Cikarang, West Java, on the 28th of this month.

Askolani noted that most of this second-hand clothing enters Indonesia through ports such as Batam Island and Medan Port, and has also been found at major ports including Tanjung Priok. Illegal importers typically use falsified cargo manifests, disguising used clothing as other goods to evade supervision. "The container is clearly filled with bags of used clothing, but the declaration form lists something else," he said by way of example.

The Director General stressed that the Directorate General of Customs and Excise has always maintained a tough stance against illegal imports. Since the used-clothing trade may involve amounts reaching tens of billions of dollars, customs authorities will continue to intensify enforcement to protect the domestic textile industry and consumers' rights.

Indonesia has previously cracked down on multiple cases of illegal used-clothing imports, and such clothing is often sold at low prices after entering the market, dealing a blow to the formal apparel industry. Industry observers believe that the official naming of source countries this time may prompt Indonesian customs to strengthen information sharing and joint enforcement with the countries of origin, so as to curb the spread of such smuggling activities at the source.

Source: Director General of Customs and Excise: Illegally Imported Used Clothing Comes from Singapore, Vietnam - 华人头条 · Originally published 2026-08-25