Croatian ship owner to take RI to court<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The owner of a Croatian-flagged cargo ship threatened to take the
\nIndonesian government to an international maritime court a day
\nafter the Indonesian Navy stormed the vessel and detained 17 crew
\nmembers at gunpoint.<\/p>\n
\"We will file a suit with the (International) Maritime
\nCourt,\" said Agoes Salim Dunda, a representative of the owners of
\nthe log carrier, the MV Mirna Rijeka in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The High Court already said the ship was free to sail, but the
\nship and crew are still being detained. Government officials and
\nprosecutors are not abiding by their own laws,\" he said on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
The Croatian ship has been involved in a lengthy legal battle
\nwith Indonesian officials since August 2004. The Navy stopped the
\nvessel in Papua in August after it took on a consignment of logs.<\/p>\n
A statement from the Croatian authorities said that the ship
\nhad been detained for having incorrect documentation.<\/p>\n
But the case widened to include alleged illegal logging and
\nwas brought to court in April. Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat
\nKaban said that the vessel had been carrying some 15,000 cubic
\nmeters of illegal logs when it was detained.<\/p>\n
The East Java High Court, however, ruled in favor of the
\ncompany in May, and ordered the Navy to escort it from the port
\ncity of Surabaya to international waters.<\/p>\n
However, the Navy prevented it from leaving following an order
\nfrom the prosecutor's office. Attorney General Abdul Rahman
\nSaleh said that his office had decided to appeal to the Supreme
\nCourt against the high court's decision.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, 200 navy personnel boarded the ship. During the
\nincident, a gun was reportedly held at the captain's head. Twelve
\narmed men remained on the vessel Wednesday, preventing the 17
\ncrew members from leaving.<\/p>\n
Capt. Joso Nekic told The Associated Press that things had
\ncalmed down in the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Abdul M. Saleh, a Navy spokesman, said that the Navy was only
\nprotecting evidence until the legal process was finished. He
\nalso dismissed reports that the Navy had threatened the ship's
\ncaptain.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security
\nAffairs Widodo Adi Sucipto said on Wednesday that the vessel
\nwould continue to be detained until the judicial process had been
\ncompleted.<\/p>\n
\"If the legal process finds that no crime has been
\nperpetrated, then we will order the Indonesian eastern fleet
\ncommand to release the vessel so as avoid disrupting bilateral
\nrelations,\" he told reporters.<\/p>\n
Widodo said that releasing the ship before the completion of the legal
\nprocess would give the impression that foreign ships could enter
\nIndonesian waters without proper documentation.<\/p>\n
The government says it has declared war against illegal
\nlogging, particularly in Papua, which environmentalists say has
\nbeen a major source of illegal logs smuggled to China and Europe.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/croatian-ship-owner-to-take-ri-to-court-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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