The Indonesian Navy said on Thursday that it had raided a Malaysian-flagged boat running illegal fishing activities in Tanjungbalai waters in North Sumatra
he Indonesian Navy said on Thursday that it had raided a Malaysian-flagged boat running illegal fishing activities in Tanjungbalai waters in North Sumatra. One Myanmarese fisherman and was killed in the raid while three boat crew members were arrested.
Speaking at a press conference, Belawan Naval Base commander First Adm. Yudo Margono said the body of the deceased was being kept in Pirngadi General Hospital's morgue in the provincial capital of Medan. The three Myanmarese crew members, meanwhile, are being detained at the Belawan Naval Base for further interrogation.
'We will process the case as the fishermen were running illegal fishing activities in Indonesian waters,' he said, adding that earlier questioning proved difficult on account of a language barrier.
Separately, Belawan Naval Base spokesperson Maj. Sahala Sinaga said the police raided the boat on Wednesday evening as a follow up a report from local fishermen.
Sahala said the Myanmarese fishermen initially refused to surrender and instead tried to crash their boat, which was carrying 2 tons of fish, into the Navy's patrol ship.
After their warning shots were ignored, Navy patrol pointed their guns to the boat and started shooting.
'They finally stopped their boat and gave up,' Sahala said, adding that the patrol officers had later found that one of the fishermen were killed in the incident.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.