2ND LD: Indonesia police free remaining 7 Ajinomoto execs

JAKARTA, Jan. 11 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS)

Indonesian police on Thursday released the remaining seven executives of Ajinomoto Co.'s Indonesia subsidiary held for questioning over the use pork-based ingredients in food flavoring produced by the company.

The release came two days after President Abdurrahman Wahid said the products are permissible to be eaten by Muslims.

Amir Syamsuddin, a lawyer for P.T. Ajinomoto Indonesia, said Indonesian police still view the seven executives as suspects and they may be subject to further questioning regarding the case.

The seven are Ajinomoto Indonesia President Mitsuo Arakawa, technical director Yosuke Oyama, factory manager Heri Suseno, production manager Sartono, quality control manager Haryono, general affairs and personnel manager Tjokorda Bagus Sudarta and senior manager Yussy R. Purba.

Arakawa refused to comment on his release when he emerged from Jakarta police headquarters.

Ajinomoto Indonesia Vice President Yasushi Oda was released Tuesday.

The police have also unsealed the company's warehouses across the country and its factory in the East Java town of Mojokerto.

The police detained the eight Ajinomoto executives over the weekend on suspicion of violating the 1994 law on consumer protection ''by giving misleading information on its products.''

Under the law, they face a maximum penalty of five years in prison or a 2 billion rupiah (about $210,000) fine.

Wahid said Tuesday after receiving inputs from scientists that Muslims can eat food flavored with Ajinomoto products, saying the products were ''halal,'' or permissible to be eaten by Muslims.

On Wednesday, Wahid said he made the statement ''for the sake of investment'' and stressed the public can decide by themselves whether it is ''sinful'' to consume the products. He warned Indonesia may ''lose $1.3 billion of investment in Indonesia and it will create a huge number of unemployed'' if Ajinomoto ends production in Indonesia.

Ajinomoto, which has been doing business in Indonesia since 1969, produces one of the most widely used flavor enhancers in the predominantly Muslim country.

Some scientists held a press conference Wednesday, saying the Ajinomoto products scientifically do not contain pork fat, but they refused to touch on religious matters.

In late December, the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), a powerful bloc of Muslim leaders under the Suharto regime, said Ajinomoto flavorings may have been contaminated by pork enzymes and urged the government to issue a recall for products made and distributed before Nov. 23.

Masduqi Mahfudh, chairman of MUI's East Java chapter and a leader in Wahid-based Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama, urged the public to follow the MUI call.

''The public should obey the decision made by MUI because it has the authority in religious matters, not the president,'' he said, adding he told the president MUI's decision is final.

Mahfudh said Ajinomoto must change its production process and product labeling and obtain a new certification from MUI if it wants to sell its products in the country.

The company has admitted to using bactosoytone, extracted from pork, instead of polypeptide, which is derived from beef, as a medium to cultivate bacteria that produce enzymes needed to make the taste enhancer, saying that it did so for economic reasons.

The government granted the subsidiary a three-week grace period starting Jan. 3 to recall the flavorings.

The company has agreed to replace bactosoytone with mamenotone, which is extracted from soybeans, and apologized to Indonesian consumers.

Ajinomoto has insisted that the final monosodium glutamate products did not contain pork fat, as it was used only during the production process.

Under a 1997 government decree, the Religious Affairs Ministry has the authority to examine food and issue labels of ''halal'' or ''haram,'' following recommendations by the MUI.

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