Chinese executive named as suspect in Indonesia radioactive contamination probe

SCMP | Dec. 4, 2025, 9:06 a.m. | Original

Police officers inspect trucks and record vehicle registration numbers at the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate, where the radioactive isotope caesium-137 was detected in October. Photo: AFP

Indonesian authorities on Thursday named a Chinese executive of a metal smelting company as a suspect in a caesium-137 contamination case that resulted in the recall of some exports to the US.

Lin Jingzhang, who is a director of PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT), has been designated as a suspect, Bara Hasibuan, a spokesperson for the investigating task force, said.

“The Certain Crimes Directorate of the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit has named Lin Jingzhang, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China who serves as director of PT Peter Metal Technology, as a suspect,” Hasibuan said.

Investigators have struggled to contact representatives of the metal-processing factory, which is located on the Cikande Industrial Estate, in Banten province on the island of Java, after the entire management returned to China . However, Lin has agreed to cooperate with the inquiry and will return to Indonesia for questioning, Hasibuan said.
PT Modernland Realty Building located in the Cikande Industrial Estate. Photo: Handout
PT Modernland Realty Building located in the Cikande Industrial Estate. Photo: Handout

The company, which produces stainless steel from scrap and waste steel, received at least 3,000 tons of raw materials from dozens of suppliers during its 10 months of operations in Indonesia. All of its stainless steel production is exported to China.

“The preliminary conclusion regarding the origin of the caesium-137 contamination is that it came from a domestic source through the purchase of used goods and scrap, which contained used industrial equipment from within the country that contained caesium-137 obtained legally or illegally, without undergoing proper storage, supervision, and disposal in accordance with applicable regulations,” Hasibuan said.

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