When contacted by ANTARA from Jayapura, Papua Province, on Friday, Indonesian Ambassador to PNG Andriana Supandi said his team has obtained a permit from the PNG National Fisheries Authority (NFA) to visit Bomana Prison, where 12 of the fishermen are lodged.
He added that the embassy has also secured access to a port where KM Eka Jaya, with 23 other fishermen on board, is anchored.
Supandi then cited a report from the NFA, saying that the 35 fishermen were crew members of three seized fishing vessels: KM Eka Jaya, KM Akifa, and KM Bintang Samudra.
He informed that the NFA, during a maritime patrol with the PNG Defense Force, captured the fishing boats on separate occasions between March 12–15, 2025. The vessels were reportedly sailing in PNG waters near the maritime border with Indonesia.
Related news: PNG court sentences five Indonesian fishermen to five years in jail
The ambassador said that the owner of KM Eka Jaya appealed for administrative penalties, a request the NFA responded to by issuing a penalty notice to the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, informing the owner of the fine.
"Regarding the value of the fine, we are still waiting for additional information from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry," he added.
The Indonesian envoy informed that the fishermen on board KM Akifa and KM Bintang Samudra underwent legal proceedings, which resulted in guilty verdicts.
During a trial on April 4, a local court slapped a fine of 150 thousand PNG kina (around US$36.6 thousand) on the captain of each vessel for violating three PNG fisheries rules.
Meanwhile, each of their crew members was handed a fine of 40 thousand PNG kina (nearly US$9.8 thousand) for breaching two regulations.
"The captains and their crew members must pay the fines within three months. Otherwise, they will face a five-year prison term," the ambassador said.
Related news: Indonesian embassy helps repatriate 28 fishermen arrested in PNG
Translator: Evarukdijati, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
