"Most importantly, the Singaporean coast guard understands the urgency of our Directorate General of Supervision for Marine Fisheries Resources (PSDKP) in this case. They carry out hot pursuits to the border of Singapore waters," Director General of PSDKP Adin Nurawaluddin noted in a statement received here on Monday.
Nurawaluddin deemed it important to conduct hot pursuit, considering that it has, so far, always posed an obstacle in the efforts to deal with BBL smuggling in the border between the two countries.
It is hoped that through this cooperation, Singapore and Indonesia, which share the same maritime border, would work closely together for regional safety and security, Nurawaluddin remarked.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commander of the Singapore Police Coast Guard Daniel Seah remarked that as the border authority, the Singaporean waters' inspector is ready to work with the Directorate General of PSDKP to strengthen the supervision of illegal BBL imports from Indonesia to Singapore.
The Singapore Coast Guard also proposes that the KKP Ministry can initiate an agreement with the Singapore Food Authority to issue regulations regarding the obligation to submit documents or licensing certificates for every fishery commodity entering Singapore.
This proposal is based on documents and certificates that are only needed in the destination country, he added.
Through this agreement, the Singapore Coast Guard would have stronger authority to take action against illegal BBL imports without documents from Indonesia, Seah noted.
"Later on, ships without legal documents or with fake documents will not be allowed to enter Singapore waters, and PSDKP can immediately make arrests," he remarked.
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Translator: Sinta Ambarwati, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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