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15 fishermen from Aceh detained in Thailand for alleged border violation
This was not the first arrest of East Aceh regency fishermen made by the authorities of a neighboring country.
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An unidentified fisherman catches fish. (Shutterstock.com/File)
T
he Thai authorities have arrested 15 Indonesian fishermen from Aceh and confiscated the 21 gross tonnage fishing ship they were using under the suspicion of committing violations in the neighboring country’s waters.
“We received the information about the arrest on Friday,” Aceh deputy sea commander Miftachhuddin Cut Adek said on Saturday as quoted by Antara news agency.
He added they had informed the Aceh Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency of the arrest, so the latter could tell the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok about the matter.
“We hope the Indonesian embassy could contact the Thai authorities to get the latest updates on the condition of the arrested fishermen,” Miftachhuddin said.
The fishing ship, KM Harapan Baroe 01, sailed from Kuala Idi village in East Aceh regency with 15 crew members onboard to catch fish in the Strait of Malacca and Indian Ocean. Miftachhuddin said the fishermen probably drifted off course because of the sea current while catching fish in the area bordering Thailand.
This was not the first arrest of East Aceh regency fishermen made by the authorities of a neighboring country. On Feb. 6, 23 fishermen from the same regency were arrested by Myanmar authorities for allegedly catching fish outside of Indonesian territory.
This year, at least 38 fishermen from East Aceh regency have been arrested for allegedly committing violations in a neighboring country's waters. The Aceh Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency has been warning fishermen to not commit violations in other country’s waters. (kuk)
