Deputy Chairman of Trade and State-owned Enterprises Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR), Dede Indra Permana Soediro, has brought to light the alleged manipulation of import documents − involving misuse of plastic import permits to import textile illegally − that occurred in a bonded warehouse in the Batujajar area, Bandung Regency. 

Dede expressed his concern over the findings, considering the broad impact it has had on the national textile industry. He emphasized that the rampant textile smuggling has caused many domestic textile factories to go bankrupt and resulted in mass layoffs for hundreds of thousands to millions of workers in this sector.

A number of large textile companies, such as PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex), Duniatex Group, and PT Primissima, were named as parties seriously affected by the invasion of illegal imported textiles in the domestic market.

"This is not just an administrative violation, but an economic crime that is very detrimental to the State and the people. The impact is not only on the textile industry, but also the welfare of millions of Indonesian workers who depend on this sector for their livelihoods," Dede said in a statement as quoted on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

Dede, who served as a Chairman of the Working Committee for Supervision of Law Enforcement of Imported Goods and Narcotics, revealed that he received information regarding the alleged involvement of three big names referred to as the textile mafia in this case. In fact, he received a report that the flow of funds from the network allegedly flowed to one of the nightclubs in Jakarta.

The Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas Tipikor) of the National Police has conducted surprise inspections of a number of warehouses suspected of being locations for illegal textile smuggling. In response to this, Dede urged law enforcement officers to take firm action and ensure justice for workers in the textile sector.

"We cannot allow these illegal practices to continue. This is not only about unfair business competition, but also concerns the future of the national industry and the fate of millions of Indonesian workers," he said.