Hence, various countries should pay serious attention to organized transnational crime in the field of fisheries, according to Indonesian Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) Ambassador Dr. Darmansjah Djumala.
The ambassador, who was also chairman of the Indonesian Delegation at the opening session of the 9th Conference of Parties (CoP) of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), voiced Indonesia`s stand at the UN Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Monday (Oct 15).
The 9th session of the UNTOC CoP was a forum for discussion between high-level officials from state parties and members to discuss key issues that were of national interest.
Djumala in his statement further said, it was highly unfortunate that the international community`s attention to the crime was still low despite the negative impacts of fisheries crime being detrimental to several countries.
This situation is exacerbated by the lack of real commitments of countries to combat the crime. To this end, the conference needs to pay greater attention to fisheries crime, he pointed out.
Furthermore, Ambassador Djumala asserted that as the largest archipelagic country in the world, Indonesia is firmly committed to combating fisheries crime and calls on countries to strengthen the legal system and the capacity of their respective law enforcement officers in efforts to overcome fisheries crime.
He also explained that fisheries crime had developed into a serious and organized transnational crime. Several parties that commit fish theft crimes are also involved in other transnational organized crime activities, such as money laundering, bribery, drug trafficking, drug smuggling, trafficking in persons, forced labor, and taxation crimes, including smuggling of goods.
Certainly, one country alone cannot combat organized transnational crime and needs to be implemented through cooperation among countries.
Hence, Indonesia considers it necessary to fight for this issue at the global level, primarily through the U.N.
"We take advantage of the momentum offered by the 9th UNTOC CoP Session to re-call that the UN and international community need to pay more serious attention to the global phenomenon of fisheries crime and need to work together to eradicate it," Djumala added.
Reporting by Zenita Gibbons
Editing by Bustanudin, Yosepf haryadi
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