One foreign film importer has been cleared to bring movies into Indonesia after reportedly paying the government Rp 9 billion ($1.05 million) in back taxes, but it’s not time for film lovers to rejoice yet. 

Agung Kuswandono, the director general of customs, said on Wednesday that the importer, which was not named, had resumed bringing in foreign titles, raising hopes that the country’s cinemas would soon be flush with Hollywood blockbusters. But these hopes were quickly dashed. 

“The importer whose problem has been solved is an importer of foreign independent films, not an MPAA film importer,” said Syamsul Lussa, the director of films at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, referring to the Motion Pictures Association of America. 

Films from MPAA, which includes Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Film, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment, have not been shown in the country since Feb. 17, when the studios decided that new local import regulations had “a detrimental impact on the cost of bringing a film into Indonesia.” 

Syamsul said talks were continuing over this issue, which centers on how royalties are calculated and charged. “Hopefully, MPAA films can be brought into Indonesia again,” he said. 

The film importer that paid Rp 9 billion in back taxes was one of three that the government said owed a collective Rp 31 billion in unpaid royalties from the past two years. “Those three importers are big ones, they rule 90 to 95 percent of total market,” Agung said, declining to identify the companies. 

According to Widhi Hartono, head of audits at the customs office, all three importers have filed appeals with the tax court against the government demand for them to pay. “But because one of them paid their import duty while the appeal is ongoing, that importer is allowed to import films,” he said. 

Djonny Sjafruddin, the head of the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI), said this should still be greeted as good news. 

“Although they have only been able to bring in second-class foreign films, which cannot really be sold to the market because they are independent American films, this is better than there being no foreign films in Indonesia cinemas,” he said. 

Djonny had earlier said that the foreign film distribution boycott had caused a 60 percent drop in the local cinema industry’s income nationwide. He said theaters had been making do with second-class foreign films and previously run movies as daily screenings are cut. 

Djonny said a company that specialized in non-MPAA films had movies ready to be screened in local cinemas. 

“There are three foreign films that have been imported by Amero Mitra Film and ready to be screened,” he said. “However, we do not know yet whether the audience will like them.” 

Two of the three films, “The Lost Bladesman,” a Hong Kong historical martial-arts film, and “Source Code,” which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan, are now screening in Jakarta cinemas. 

Additional reporting by Dion Bisara

Central Jakarta District Court judges on Wednesday ruled to drop criminal charges against a 14-year-old boy accused of stealing a Rp 10,000 ($1.15) cellphone voucher, saying the investigation into the case was “defective.” 

The move came in the wake of criticisms against the police and prosecutors for bringing a minor to trial over a trivial offense. 

The boy, Deli Suhandi, had spent more than three weeks in an East Jakarta prison with hardened criminals before he was released following pressure from human rights groups and child welfare activists. 

Presiding judge Tjokorda Rai Suamba said the police had violated legal procedures during the investigation. 

“The defendant was not accompanied by a lawyer. Hence, the investigation is deemed to be defective,” Tjokorda said after issuing the preliminary ruling. 

Deli, a junior high student, said that he and two friends from school had only picked up the phone vouchers from the street after rioters destroyed several cellphone shops along Jalan Tanah Tinggi. 

Though investigators said they had a signed letter from Deli stating that he waived his right to a lawyer, the judge said the note should have been signed by the boy’s parents. 

Agam, one of the prosecutors, said on Wednesday that his team would file an appeal against the ruling, saying the police report clearly stated that Deli had refused to be assisted by a lawyer. 

“It is clear in the investigation report that the defendant signed a letter declining an attorney,” he said. “Therefore, we are going to file an appeal.” 

Defense lawyer Hendra Supriatna said if prosecutors failed to appeal within seven days, the case against Deli would be dropped. 

Arist Merdeka Sirait, chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak), criticized the Johar Baru Police for locking the boy up, and prosecutors for charging Deli, saying these were in violation of a 2009 joint ministerial decree on dealing with children in conflict with the law. 

“The prosecutor is silly if he wants to file an appeal,” Arist said. “He should have had rejected the case in the first place when the police filed the investigation report.” 

“This kind of case can actually be solved through discussions among the witnesses, the victim and the suspect,” he said. 

“But because there is no evidence and the trial is closed to the public, this case should have been dropped immediately,” the Komnas Anak chairman said. 

Dede Suhandi, Deli’s father, welcomed the court ruling on Wednesday and said he hoped his boy would not be arrested again. 

“I just don’t like the fact that my son has been labeled a criminal,” Dede said. “He has done nothing wrong. The only thing that I want is for my son to be accepted by society.”

A preliminary verdict handed down by the Central Jakarta Disctrict Court on Wednesday dropped the case against a 14-year-old boy on trial for allegedly stealing a Rp 10,000 ($1.17) cell phone credit voucher.

Presiding judge Tjokorda Rai Suamba decided to drop the charges against Deli Suhandi, a sophomore at a junior high school, because he considered the case investigation “defective.”

“During the investigation, the defendant was not accompanied by a lawyer, hence the investigation is deemed to be defective,” Tjokorda told the Jakarta Globe.

The judge said that even though the police investigation report had a letter attached and signed by the teenager stating that he had refused to be assisted by a lawyer, it was a violation of legal procedures.

“The letter should have been signed by his parents because he is still a minor, therefore, the case is defective,” he said.

Deli’s lawyer said that they were waiting for the prosecutor to respond to the sentence.

“The prosecutor has seven days to decide whether or not he will appeal the sentence and if he doesn’t file any appeals within that period, the case against Deli will be dropped,” Hendra said.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Agam told the Jakarta Globe that he would appeal the preliminary verdict.

“It is clear in the police investigation report that Deli, the defendant, signed a statement letter stating that he declined to be assisted by lawyer,” Agam said. 

“Therefore, we are going to file an appeals.”