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West Papua Police to sink Vietnamese vessel
The West Papua Police have said they will sink a Vietnamese-flagged vessel named the KM Thank Cong, which they caught allegedly fishing illegally in the provinceâs waters on Jan
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he West Papua Police have said they will sink a Vietnamese-flagged vessel named the KM Thank Cong, which they caught allegedly fishing illegally in the province's waters on Jan. 19.
'The West Papua Police will not give up their fight against illegal fishing perpetrators in West Papua. The Vietnamese fishermen proven guilty of stealing our resources will be brought to justice in the hope that this can have a deterrent effect,' West Papua Police chief Brig. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
'We have coordinated with prosecutors for special measures to be taken to sink the foreign vessel,' he went on.
Waterpauw directly monitored the handling of the Vietnamese fishing vessel docked at Waisai Port in Raja Ampat, West Papua. The vessel's captain and crew are reported to have been questioned at Raja Ampat police precinct office.
Twelve people, all Vietnamese citizens, were on board the KM Thank Cong when it was seized. Of the 12, two have been named suspects. They are Nguyen Trong Nhan, 44, the vessel's captain, and Nguyen Than Minh, 43, a crew member. The remaining 10 are still under investigation.
The two suspects are accused of having violated several articles stipulated in Law No.45/2009 on fisheries, in reference to Law No.31/2004 on fisheries, with a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and a Rp 2 billion (US$160,290.6) fine.
Waterpauw said the police's sinking of the vessel was based on Article 69 (4) of the 2009 Fisheries Law.
'We will not play games. We are ensuring that our sea resources are protected,' he said.
The West Papua Police chief said during the arrest that the police had found 2,100 kilograms (kg) of shark fins, 45 dead turtles, five dead mantas, 586 manta fins, one vessel document in Vietnamese language, a gill net, and 3.5 kg of formalin powder to preserve fish. (ebf)(+++)
