Fishermen shot dead in Sumba<\/p>\n
Yacob Herin, The Jakarta Post, Maumere, Flores<\/p>\n
Police officers from East Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara shot
\ndead four fishermen from Ende island who were using explosives
\nwhen fishing in Sumba waters.<\/p>\n
Ende district police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Mamboyng confirmed
\non Tuesday the incident, saying five other fishermen were
\narrested.<\/p>\n
They are being interrogated by local police, he told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Police chief Brig. Gen. Jacki
\nUly told the press here on Tuesday that the incident occurred
\nlast week when a team of police officers were conducting an
\noperation to crack down the rampant use of dynamite for fishing
\nin local waters.<\/p>\n
"When the police officers approached them and instructed them
\nto allow their three vessels to be searched, they resisted and
\ntried to attack the officers," he was quoted by Antara as saying,
\nadding that the officers then had no choice but to fire on the
\nfishermen, killing four of them.<\/p>\n
According to Jacki, the police had launched the operation
\nafter receiving tip-offs from the local administration and
\nresidents that a group of about 20 fishermen using three boats
\nhad frequently been fishing in the area using dynamite.<\/p>\n
He said that the incident on March 14 had just been reported
\nby the East Sumba subprecinct to the provincial police in Kupang.<\/p>\n
"The local administration and the residents have been very
\nconcerned over the fishermen's actions, which was damaging coral
\nreefs and other marine species in the area. They have been doing
\nit for a long time," he noted.<\/p>\n
Uly said that after the shooting, one of the boats stopped
\nwhile the other two escaped.<\/p>\n
The police officers boarded and searched the vessel, named the
\nNostalgia and found the bodies of Djafar Husein, 45, and
\nDjamaludin Husein, 30, who had apparently been shot by the police
\nduring the incident. Five of the vessel's other fishermen, one of
\nthem an escaped convict, were taken to East Sumba Police
\nsubprecinct for questioning.<\/p>\n
The police also found a compressor, three bombs to be used in
\nfishing, two plastic bags containing ammunition, and a ton of
\nfish on the boat.<\/p>\n
Ende Police subprecinct managed to arrest the other two boats
\nat Ende island two days after the incident. They then found the
\nbodies of Marden Abdulrachman Bie, 41, and Musa Muhamad, 35, who
\nwere shot by the police in the incident two days before.<\/p>\n
Uly said that the police action was in line with standard
\nprocedures as the fishermen had tried to obstruct the officers in
\nthe performance of their duty.<\/p>",
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