"Of the total 695 fishermen, 690 people are not penalized, and five persons have completed their prison term," Director General of Supervision of Maritime Resources and Fisheries of the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Eko Djalmo Asmadi stated on Friday.
Repatriation of the Vietnamese fishermen was carried out in cooperation with the Director General of Immigration, Navy, and the national police.
Prior to the repatriation, the fishermen stayed at temporary shelters, such as in Pontianak, Natuna, Tarempa, the immigration office of Tanjung Pinang, the Naval bases of Ranai, and Tarempa, Asmadi remarked.
According to Asmadi, the repatriation could be carried out owing to the sound cooperation between the governments of Indonesia and Vietnam.
Asmadi also expressed hope that the Vietnamese fishermen would take a cue from the repatriation process, and most importantly, they would no longer commit illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.
For the repatriation process, the Vietnamese government has deployed the Vietnam Coast Guard 8001, 8005, and 4039.
Last year, the Indonesian government had sent home 228 Vietnamese fishermen.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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