Bargains at Batas

By Patrick Matbob

Batas market on the PNG Indonesian border about 30 minutes’ drive from Vanimo town has become a popular place for people hunting for cheap Asian goods.
The market’s reputation has spread and people from Sandaun, East Sepik, Madang and other areas of PNG are flocking to the border. These people are not traditional border crossers and many do not own a passport, but are allowed temporarilyto venture a few meters into a foreign country to shop.

Wide range of snacks at Batas.

They are attracted by the goods, mainly electronic items such as television sets, stereos and mobile phones that are sold at bargain prices.
Curious about this market, I decided to see for myself the business that was going on there. Going to Vanimo from Madang was not easy, unless one wanted to travel by sea, which was not an attractive choice in December with hundreds of holiday makers. The next best option was to travel to Port Moresby then get a direct flight to Vanimo which was expensive but convenient. Cost for overnight accommodation in Port Moresby was solved when I met a close family friend, former PNG Defence Force commander Brigadier General Jerry Singirok (retired), who kindly offered his home. Next morning, I boarded my favorite plane; Air Niugini’s Q400 and jetted off to Vanimo.

As the aircraft approached the border town, I studied the scenery below me. It had been more than 25 years since I last visited and there were signs of development everywhere. Network of gravel roads crisscrossed the lush forests that surrounded the town showing that the logging was still the main industrial activity in the province.


Entering Indonesia at Wutung.

I disembarked at Vanimo airport with some apprehension as I had not planned my Batas trip due to some changes in travel plans that forced me to bring the trip forward. However, I had prayed earnestly for help and it seemed my prayer was answered. At the airport, the first familiar face I met amongst the crowd of strangers was a former media colleague Winnis Map. It just so happened that Winnis was now the coordinator of the Border Development Authority (BDA) and was travelling regularly to the border for business. BDA is the government body set up to develop the border areas of PNG providing infrastructures that would help authorities such as the Customs & Immigration, Foreign Affairs officers and security forces to do their work. And he was happy to help me with my trip as early as next morning!
I spent rest of Sunday attending mass and then wandered through the small town sightseeing in the blazing heat. There were changes with new buildings in parts of the town but the general layout remained the same. The new additions were a two-storey provincial government complex, a court house, an AusAID funded extension to the main hospital rated as one of the best in the country, an Indonesian embassy, new residential homes mainly linked with the logging industry, a new hotel and several lodges that have been established to cater for the growth of surfing in the province. The restaurant at the hospital served the best and cheapest lunches and is frequented by many customers.

After passing through the military roadblock, there were more surprises for me at the border post. The officer in charge of the border, Jacqueline Winuan, is a PNG Studies graduate of Divine Word University and it was good to see her after some years. And the customs officer there was a friend whom I had not seen for many years. After exchanging niceties, I was told to put my name on a form and join the crowd crossing to Batas.
Amongst the border crossers were the traditional crossers from Wutung who were crossing mainly to tend their gardens on the other side each day. These people have been victimized by the artificial border that cuts across their traditional land. Their daily activities pose a challenge for quarantine officers who have to check the garden crops they bring to and fro for insects, pests and diseases.
Walking the short stretch to the Indonesian border post, there were obvious signs that we were moving from one country to another. The most telling difference was in the design of the roads and buildings on the Indonesian side. There was the well paved road with high embankments and neatly paved foot paths on both sides that led all the way to the Indonesian post. The buildings at the post were ‘Asian’ in architecture with thick walls, steep red terracotta roofs that were fenced by solid concrete posts and picket fences. Unlike the PNG border post, all crossers were required to enter the building where two soldiers in military uniforms frisked each individual and checked their bags. Then you were allowed to emerge in Indonesia and stroll some 50 metres passing the well-guardedIndonesian military base at Skouwto Batas market.
Despite its fame, the market was no more than a clutter of hurriedly nailed together timber and iron roof sheds packed with cheap varieties of Asian goods coveted in PNG. On sale were clothing and household goods, electronic gadgets, TVs, a range of basic food items such as rice, flour, noodles and oil mostly sold in bulk, building and hardware materials and even a makeshift repair shop for motor scooters. One could bargain for the prices of goods which started at around K10. It was obvious that the Indonesians were after the stronger PNG Kina and in the absence of any currency exchange facilities, all items were priced in PNG Kina. It is still to be determined what exactly happens to the thousands of kina that goes across the border. But soon after my visit, the Bank of South Pacific in Vanimo ran out of cash because of the huge amounts being withdrawn and spent across the border.
During the weekends, the market is said to be packed with buyers and vendors however that day the market was not crowded. Yet there was a steady flow of goods being bought and brought into PNG over the border. PNG Customs charges a tax on each of the expensive and larger items such as TV sets, scooters, building materials and rice and flour bales. The PMV operators also charge a fee on each item. Even after the tax and fees, the items are cheaper than if purchased in Vanimo where prices are comparatively higher. PMVs wait in an orderly queue for goods to be loaded and taken back to Vanimo or the villages. On the PNG side of the border, a few stalls sold PNG goods that were in demand across the border. These include PNG tinned foods such as Ox &Palm, Besta and souvenirs. Otherwise, the business is one way with Asian manufactured goods flooding into PNG.
I also noted a bustling betel nut market set up by West Papuan people from Wamena. Wamena is in the highlands of West Papua and,like the highlanders of PNG, the Wamena people are resourceful and business minded. I was told that PNG betel nut was purchased and brought to Jayapura where it was packed and supplied to Timika at the large Freeport copper mine.
A notable Asian influence at the border is the growth in numbers of motor scooters as cheap transportfor Wutung and nearby villagers.
I bought some souvenirs for my children and a 4 gig flash drive which cost roughly the same in PNG. I had to ask specifically for an empty flash drive as most flash drives sold there are loaded with popular PNG music and are part of the piracy racket that has badly affected the local music industry. With my few souvenirs, I headed back across the border for the long trip home.