19 Acehnese fishermen held in India

19 Acehnese fishermen held in India

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: At least 19 Acehnese fishermen are being
detained by immigration authorities in the Andaman and Nicobar
islands -- administered by India, but physically closer to Aceh
-- for trespassing.

"We have yet to receive an official notification on the fate
of the Acehnese fishermen," secretary of Aceh's customs and legal
office, M. Adli Abdullah, said on Tuesday.

He said that not all of them had meant to trespass into Indian
waters, but some of them unintentionally did so after their boats
suffered engine trouble and drifted.

"If this is true, we ask the government to help secure their
release as was done by the Indonesian embassy in Yangon," he said
referring to a previous incident with Myanmar.

The embassy recently managed to help free 19 wayward
Indonesian fishermen, who had been jailed by Myanmar for seven to
eight months. --Antara