Over 100 foreign vessels apprehended this year<\/p>\n
Muhammad Aziz Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon, Maluku<\/p>\n
This year the Navy has caught more than 100 foreign vessels
\ninvolved in poaching or transporting illegal logs in the waters
\nof east Indonesia and Maluku, a senior Navy official said on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
"We have detained more than 100 vessels and they are being
\n(legally) processed," Commander of Indonesia's Eastern Fleet
\nCommodore Moekhlas Sidik said after the anniversary ceremony for
\nthe Pattimura Military Command overseeing Maluku and North
\nMaluku.<\/p>\n
The captured vessels, he said, were mainly from Thailand, the
\nPhilippines and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
He added that 49 foreign ships were being held at the Surabaya
\nnaval base in East Java, another 41 at Sorong, Papua, 21 at
\nMakassar, South Sulawesi and 33 at Bitung, North Sulawesi. This
\namounts to 144 foreign vessels.<\/p>\n
That did not include foreign ships arrested in the waters of
\nSoutheast Maluku regency, Moekhlas added.<\/p>\n
He said most of the foreign vessels were involved in poaching
\nactivities, while others were transporting illegal logs to be
\nsold abroad.<\/p>\n
The vast waters of East Indonesia, and a shortage of patrol
\nboats made the area particularly prone to foreign illegal
\nfishing, he explained.<\/p>\n
Indonesia loses about US$4 billion a year to illegal fishing,
\naccording to Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Rokhmin
\nDahuri.<\/p>\n
Rokhmin accused Thai fishermen last week of being behind most
\nof the poaching. They control nearly 80 percent of Indonesian
\nwaters, using vessels that fly the Indonesian flag, he said.<\/p>\n
Government data shows that every year some 3,200 vessels
\nflying the Indonesian flag enter the country's waters illegally.<\/p>\n
After Thailand, the most foreign vessels come from the
\nPhilippines, Taiwan, China and South Korea.<\/p>\n
Lately, the Navy has taken tougher measures to deal with
\nillegal foreign vessels and, if necessary, sunk those that
\nrefused to allow Naval officers to board.<\/p>\n
In January a Naval ship fired at a Chinese fishing boat,
\nkilling one of its crew members, and injured another.<\/p>\n
The tightening of control over Indonesian waters is also
\nnecessary to curb the flourishing trade in illegal logs.
\nOperating mainly on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan,
\nillegal loggers rely on sea transportation to sell the logs to
\noverseas markets.<\/p>\n
Naval Commander Moekhlas said the smuggling of weapons by sea
\nwas another threat.<\/p>\n
Analysts have said many of the weapons used by the separatist
\nFree Aceh Movement (GAM) came from the Philippines and other
\nAsian countries plagued by armed insurgences.<\/p>\n
Last year, the government announced plans for concerted
\nefforts against illegal fishing, mining and logging activities at
\nsea, with plans to improve regulations and maritime security.<\/p>\n
The government hopes to standardize trade regulations to plug
\nlegal loopholes and avoid confusion among law enforcers over what
\nconstitutes illegal trade at sea.<\/p>\n
Critics, however, also point to the military itself as
\ncontributing to the widespread plunder of natural resources.<\/p>\n
There is suspicion that the military is involved in some of
\nthe illegal business or at least that it reaps a percentage of
\nthe profits in exchange for turning a blind eye.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/over-100-foreign-vessels-apprehended-this-year-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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