JAKARTA Indonesia has relaxed import rules for electronic products, footwear, and textiles, its chief economic minister said on Friday, in an attempt to quickly process imported items that have piled up in ports.

Jakarta in March tightened import rules impacting more than 3,000 goods, aiming to protect domestic industries from an influx of products, including by requiring importers to obtain a permit and a recommendation.

In April, further regulations to restrict imports of electronic goods including air conditioners, refrigerators and laptops were announced.

Since then, more than 26,000 of containers have been stuck at the country's two biggest sea ports due to bureaucratic hurdles, the government said.

They contain a range of goods, including steel, clothes, electronics and chemical products.

  - Reuters