Currently, he has been handed over to the local government for the repatriation process
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Foreign Ministry, in collaboration with the Aceh government and the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP), on Friday repatriated an Indonesian fisherman who was stranded in Thailand waters before being rescued by Thai authorities last week.



"Alhamdulillah (thank God), thanks to the cooperation of related parties, especially the Foreign Ministry and the Aceh regional government, we could repatriate our fisherman from Thailand," Antam Novambar, acting director general of marine resources and fisheries monitoring at the KKP, said in a press release here on Saturday.



The fisherman arrived in Jakarta on Friday (July 23, 2021) and was handed over to the Aceh government's Liaison Office, he informed.



Before being sent home, the fisherman was quarantined at Wisma Atlet, Jakarta, he added.


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"Currently, he has been handed over to the local government for the repatriation process," he said.



Teuku Elvitrasyah, Director of violation handling at the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, said the fisherman was stranded in the waters off South Racha, Phuket Island, and was found by Thai officials on June 13, 2021.



The Acehnese fisherman got stranded after his boat's engine broke down, he informed.



"Initially, the fisherman went to sea alone using a boat with an outboard motor, then accidentally, the engine piston was released in the middle of the sea. For that reason, the boat then floated for eight days and eight nights and was carried by currents into Thai waters," he said.



This year, the KKP, Foreign Ministry, and local governments have repatriated 78 fishermen who either experienced legal problems or got stranded at sea. The 78 fishermen are in addition to the 28 repatriated from India, 48 repatriated from Malaysia, one repatriated from Myanmar, and one repatriated from Thailand, he added.


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Translator: M Razi, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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