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61 foreign fish poachers detained in Sumatra
Sixty-one fishermen from Thailand and Myanmar have been arrested for illegal fishing off Aceh this year, according to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry
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ixty-one fishermen from Thailand and Myanmar have been arrested for illegal fishing off Aceh this year, according to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.
The figure apparently represented a dramatic increase over the 65 foreign fishermen detained for fishing in Indonesian waters in 2011, all of whom were from Malaysia.
Mukhtar, the head of the Maritime Resources and Fisheries Supervisory station (PSDKP) in Belawan, North Sumatra, said all of the Malaysian fishermen who were arrested last year had been sent home, while the 61 fishermen arrested this year were still in detention and were being questioned by the PSDKP.
“Six of the 61 foreign fishermen who were the skippers of six fishing boats have been named suspects. They will be tried here,” Mukhtar told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Those who were not declared suspects would be deported by the immigration office in Belawan, he said.
Nine of the detained fishermen had been handed over to the Belawan Immigration Office but had yet to be deported. The others were still under investigation by the PSDKP.
Mukhtar said the fishermen were staying in their boats while in custody and had paid for their own meals, as his office had no budget to feed the men.
“We only provide meals for the six fishermen who were named suspects. The rest pay for their own meals,” Mukhtar said.
The fishermen’s catches and vessels will be auctioned off and the proceeds given to the state.
Mukhtar said the amount of fish caught illegally by foreign fishermen reached up to 4 tons a boat daily.
They generally caught sea floor fish, such as groupers, stingrays and bass.
Separately, Belawan Immigration Office traffic section head Muliadi confirmed that officials detained fishermen from Thailand and Myanmar.
Muliadi said the immigration office suggested that the PSDKP help speed the fishermen’s deportation and not turn them over to the immigration office, save for the six boat skippers who were currently in pre-trial detention.
“Immigration doesn’t mind if foreign fishermen are handed to us prior to deportation. However, we suggest they be deported immediately so they don’t stay here long,” Muliadi said.
