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Police shoot three clam fishermen in Riau
The police said the decision to open fire was in accordance with standard operating procedure, as they claimed the fishermen were uncooperative during the raid.
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Three fisherman who allegedly used dredging equipment to catch clams without a permit were shot by police in Riau near the border of North Sumatra. (JP/Google Map)
R
okan Hilir Water Police in Riau have shot three clam fisherman the police claim were catching clams using dredging equipment without a permit in Riau waters on the border of North Sumatra.
“Three fishermen were shot. One person died of a gunshot wound to the chest. Two others suffered injuries to the right side of the head and to the right hip, respectively,” Riau Police water police director Sr. Com. Hery Wiyanto said during a press briefing on Monday.
The two surviving fishermen, Agus Salim, 30, and Irwansyah, 31, are from Tanjung Balai in the neighboring province of North Sumatra and are currently receiving intensive care at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital in North Sumatra. The body of the deceased, Suharsono Tumanggor, 38, has been sent to a funeral home in Tanjung Balai.
Hery said the police's decision to open fire was in accordance with standard operating procedure, as he claimed the fishermen were uncooperative during the raid.
The seven boats transporting 11 fishermen from Pematang Pasir village in Tanjung Balai are owned by Omsi, a businessman in Tanjung Balai. The police seized a total of 50 sacks of clams weighing 1.25 tons and three dredging units as evidence.
Hery said three water policemen had received information from locals about alleged clam fishing using dredging equipment, which can endanger marine biota.
The water police found the fishermen and fired a warning shot into the sky to get them to stop. The fishermen reportedly turned off all lights on the vessels instead and tried to escape toward Panipahan, Riau.
“In fact, one vessel even tried to ram the police’s boat,” Hery said. (sau)
