"According to the schedule, the Acehnese fishermen are repatriated today. They will transit at the Kualanamu Airport in Medan and will later be flown to Jakarta."
Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) - Some 28 Acehnese fishermen set free in India's islands of Andaman and Nicobar are scheduled to arrive in Indonesia on Friday.

"According to the schedule, the Acehnese fishermen are repatriated today. They will transit at the Kualanamu Airport in Medan and will later be flown to Jakarta," deputy secretary general of Panglima Laot Aceh (leader of the local traditional sea community) Miftach Tjut Adek confirmed here on Friday.

Citing information from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and Foreign Ministry, Adek noted that the Acehnese fishermen will undergo medical checks in Jakarta before being flown to Aceh.

The Indian coastal guard police Durgabai Deshmukh arrested the 28 Acehnese fishermen at a location 55 nautical miles from Nicobar Island on March 3, 2020.

"With the advocacy of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi, and the hard work of the Aceh government and the oceanic and PSDKP-KKP (fisheries resources surveillance station of the Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry), the Andaman court set them free on January 16, 2021," he revealed.

Miftach expressed gratitude to the Aceh governor and the central government for their hard work and tireless advocacy for the Acehnese fishermen that led to their immediate release. Normally, the detention period may last for up to three years.

"In the past two years, our 160 fishermen were detained in the three countries of Myanmar, India, and Thailand. They were released immediately owing to the advocacy of the Aceh government and the central government," he affirmed.

With the repatriation of 28 Acehnese fishermen, three other fishermen from Aceh are yet being detained in India.
Related news: Aceh's 19 fishermen repatriated from India after year-long jail term

Related news: 51 Acehnese fishermen repatriated from Thailand

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