Speaking in Tangerang on Thursday, Maritime Potential Assistant of TNI-AL Chief of Staff, Major General Hermanto, emphasized that this security plan reflects the military’s commitment to preventing the installation of such an illegal and economically harmful structure in Indonesia’s waters in the future.
“Our objective is certainly to enable fishermen to navigate the waters and catch fish conveniently,” he remarked.
According to Hermanto, the maritime security patrols will involve personnel from the TNI-AL’s headquarters and naval bases in collaboration with relevant institutions and local fishermen.
Furthermore, the marine commander highlighted that the Indonesian Navy had removed most of the bamboo pillars forming the illegal structure since the extraction mission began on January 18, 2025
"God willing, the removal operation will conclude today, as we only need to deal with the remaining one kilometer of the fence. We are determined to take advantage of today's quite favorable weather to get the job done," he revealed.
Hermanto pointed out that several factors, particularly bad weather, have hindered the fence removal.
The navy officer also highlighted that the TNI-AL has been working closely with local fishermen and officials from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to remove the sea fence, which stretches across the coasts of 16 villages in six sub-districts.
Earlier, Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Nusron Wahid had voiced the government's commitment to resolving the sea fence issue, including by abolishing all right-to-build and ownership certificates attached to submerged land plots where the fence stands.
Meanwhile, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has assisted the fishermen negatively affected by the structure.
The assistance includes training programs and fishing tools and equipment for fishermen and their wives, as well as scholarships for their children to study at the ministry's polytechnics free of charge.
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Translator: Azmi S, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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