"Indonesias Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministrys Hiu Macan Tutul 002 patrol ship caught the foreign fishing vessel, which was flying Malaysias flag KM JHF 6901 T, weighed 96 GT and was manned by 19 Lao nationals", the Director General for Maritime and Fisheries Resources Surveillance, Asep Burhanudin, said on Tuesday.
According to him, the foreign fishing vessel was caught on August 22 at 04.55 a.m. local time by the patrol ship in the countrys exclusive economic zone around the islands of Natuna and Tarempa.
Burhanudin further said all the crew members aboard the Malaysias fishing vessel were citizens of Laos, who were poaching fish and could not furnish any documents permitting the same by the Government of Indonesia.
Previously, an Indonesian patrol ship had caught six Vietnamese fishing vessels inside the countrys exclusive economic zone around the waters of Anambas, Riau Islands province, on August 1, a government official said.
"The vessels were caught red-handed by the Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministrys Hiu Macan 005 patrol ship between 01:00 and 04:00 p. m. local time," Burhanudin had revealed on August 4.
The skippers of the Vietnamese fishing boats and 43 crew members, who were all Vietnamese nationals, had failed to produce proper legal documents permitting them to fish in Indonesian waters, he pointed out.
The fishermen onboard the six vessels had caught 9,171 kilograms of fish from Indonesian waters, Burhanudin added.
The ships were promptly escorted by Hiu Macan 005 to Batam Island, Riau Islands province, for investigation.
Those violating the Indonesian fisheries law of 2009 can be sentenced to a maximum of six years in prison and be fined Rp20 billion.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
