Thais allowed to fish off N. Sumatra<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
The North Sumatra legislative council has approved a proposal for
\nThai vessels to fish in waters off the province, despite
\nincreasing complaints from local fishermen about their small
\ncatches, which they blame on rampant theft by foreign vessels.<\/p>\n
The move was first proposed by the North Sumatra branch of the
\nIndonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to the
\ncouncil's Commission VII on investment.<\/p>\n
The approval of the proposal will likely make traditional
\nfishermen in the province suffer further, and could in the end
\nforce them to tie up their boats.<\/p>\n
Councillors said on Monday that the decision to legalize
\nfishing by Thai fishing vessels was aimed at generating more
\nrevenue for the province.<\/p>\n
Sigit Pramono Asri, who chairs Commission VII, said the
\napproval for Thai fishermen to enter Indonesian waters could help
\nto significantly reduce the level of poaching in North Sumatra,
\nwhich has largely been blamed on them.<\/p>\n
\"It's certainly not designed to provide legitimation for the
\npoachers from Thailand, but we want to take what is our due,\"
\nSigit told The Jakarta Post after presiding over a meeting
\nbetween Commission VII and Kadin executives.<\/p>\n
He admitted that the thefts by Thai and other foreign fishing
\nvessels had been continuing unchecked in the waters off the
\nprovince. Local fishermen accused the security authorities of
\ntaking no action against the poachers.<\/p>\n
Many of the poachers are often found to be using nets that are
\nbanned under Indonesian law.<\/p>\n
The foreign trawlers had damaged traditional Indonesian
\nfishermen and fishing businesses, Sigit said.<\/p>\n
Hanif Ray, secretary of Commission VII, said the illegal
\npoaching caused more than one Rp 1 trillion in annual losses to
\nNorth Sumatra.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra's Kadin chairman Yopie Batubara said the
\nproposal to legalize fishing by the Thai vessels was so as
\npromote the sort of fishing cooperation that had been discussed
\nseveral times between the Thai and Indonesian authorities.<\/p>\n
The Thai prime minister gave a positive response to such
\nefforts when delegates from Kadin visited Bangkok on May 27,
\n2003, he added.<\/p>\n
Yopie claimed that the central government through the director
\ngeneral of fisheries had orally agreed to the cooperation.<\/p>\n
\"The program will start with at least 100 fishing vessels from
\nThailand being allowed to operate off North Sumatra,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the project was expected to contribute around Rp 80
\nbillion in annual revenue to North Sumatra, adding that the
\nprovince had so far been earning only Rp 2 billion annually from
\nthe fishing industry.<\/p>\n
Yopie said that 51 percent of the funding for the cooperation
\nprogram would be provided by Thai investors, 19 percent by their
\nNorth Sumatra counterparts and 30 percent by cooperatives made up
\nof local traditional fishermen.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, 70 percent of fishermen employed by the program
\nwill be from Indonesia, with the remaining 30 percent coming from
\nThailand,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The workers would be paid monthly and receive a bonus in the
\nform of 30 percent of the vessel's catch after operating expenses
\nhad been deducted, Yopie added.<\/p>\n
Sigit said that to prevent opposition from local fishermen,
\nthe relevant authorities should explain the cooperation program
\ntransparently to them.<\/p>\n
However, he said the council could withdraw its support for
\nthe program should it draw strong protests from local fishermen.<\/p>\n
H. Syakubat, a local businessman with interests in the fishing
\nsector, lamented the council's approval for Thai fishing off the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
He specifically rejected the plan to allow 100 Thai trawlers
\nto enter North Sumatran waters as part of the approved program.<\/p>\n
\"It will be useless to provide more fishing equipment if it is
\nnot clear how the fish produced in North Sumatra will be
\nmarketed. The government should not permit the operation of
\ntrawlers,\" Syakubat said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thais-allowed-to-fish-off-n-sumatra-1447893297",
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