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raditional fishermen in East Nusa Tenggara remain subject to frequent arrests by Australian security personnel because both countries have yet to ratify the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) agreement, says a prominent activist.

"The treaty between Indonesia and Australia on the EEZ and undersea borders in the Timor Sea is no longer valid and must be ratified again," West Timor Care Foundation (YPTB) chairman Ferdi Tanoni said Monday in Kupang, in response to grievances aired by a Kupang fisherman to Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Golkar Party members during a local party meeting.

He added the treaty, first signed by then foreign minister Ali Alatas and his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer in Perth, Australia, in 1997, was considered null along after Timor Leste became a sovereign state.

Tanoni, author of Skandal Laut Timor, Sebuah Barter Politik Ekonomi Canberra-Jakarta (Timor Sea Scandal, Economic and Political Bartering Between Canberra and Jakarta), said he was pained by the fishermen's plight, calling it a reflection of the struggle by every component of the nation.

"So far, the government has always disregarded the aspirations of the fishermen," he said.

He likened the 13 members of the House of Representatives from East Nusa Tenggara as puppets who had failed to put forward those aspirations, especially from traditional fishermen in the Timor Sea.

"The fishermen will forever take to the Timor Sea, because it's where they seek a living," Tanoni said.

He added the people of East Nusa Tenggara had been fighting to ratify the EEZ and clearly establish the borders of both countries for years, but the government had always regarded it as merely a minor issue.

"When will this country stop sacrificing its people from being caught and imprisoned by the Australian authorities?" Tanoni said.

Historically, he went on, the Australian-claimed Pasir Island was an integral part of Indonesia.

"Indonesian residents have made Pasir Island and the Timor Sea a place to seek fish for past generations, then all of a sudden there is a pact between Indonesia and Australia in 1997 limiting the fishermen's rights," he said.

Tanoni, a local businessman and chairman of the Timor Gap Teamwork, also insisted that Ashmore Reef, 60 miles south of Rote Island and 500 miles west of Darwin, belonged to Indonesia.

Traditional fisherman Hamzah, 32, who was arrested several times for illegal fishing in the Timor Sea, complained to Kalla on March 29 about the "unfavorable" treatment of Indonesian fishermen by Australian security personnel.

"As traditional fishermen, we are subject to repression. We appeal to Pak Jusuf Kalla as vice president and Golkar Party chairman for help," said Hamzah, who attended the party meeting at Oepoi Stadium in Kupang on Sunday.

Hamzah, a Kupang resident, also brought a map and pointed out the location where Indonesian fishermen were frequently arrested.

"We were caught in Indonesian waters, not in Australian territory, nor on Pasir Island," he said as he pointed to the location on the map.

Kalla, who seemed uncomfortable responding to the complaint, asked Rote Ndao Regent Lens Haning to explain Indonesia's actual maritime territory.

After studying the map brought by Hamzah, Haning immediately said the fishermen were arrested in Indonesian waters.

"If there are other fishermen caught in Indonesian waters, please call me. I'll take the necessary action," Kalla said.