"There are allegations of human trafficking. However, it is not our authority in the fisheries investigation. We have sent a letter to the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim),"
Tual, Maluku (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has widened the investigation from illegal fishing to the case of enslavement of people on foreign fishing vessel Run Zeng, which was caught on May 19, 2024.

Head of the investigation team of the ministry's Directorate General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervision (PSDKP), Garibaldi Marandita, said that the investigation will be widened based on information provided by the Indonesian crew members of the ship.

"There are allegations of human trafficking. However, it is not our authority in the fisheries investigation. We have sent a letter to the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim)," he informed on Monday.

His team is also coordinating with the Maluku Regional Police due to the finding of illegal distribution of fuel.

Marandita informed that his team is still investigating the involvement of Indonesian citizens in the operation of Run Zeng.

He informed that the ship had been operating for a year and it needed supplies brought from Indonesia.

"From the results (of the interim investigation), this ship has been operating for several months or some say a year. Automatically, they need supplies until the crew changes, then we need to learn the distribution of the caught fish," he said.

Earlier, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, said that several illegal fishing perpetrators on Run Zeng were Indonesians.

"I did not expect that the illegal fishing paired up with some Indonesians, especially in the north coast region of Java," the minister added.

He said that several Indonesian crew members on Run Zeng were recruited from Pekalongan, Central Java, and Lampung.

The crew members were lured with salaries ranging from Rp10 million to 15 million (US$615–US$923) per month. However, based on the information provided by the crew members, they have not received their compensation yet.

Related news: South East Asia must not become safe haven for human traffickers: FM
Related news: Indonesia seeks inclusion of illegal fishing as transnational crime

Translator: Maria Cicilia G P, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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