39 RI fisherman on trial in KL court

39 RI fisherman on trial in KL court

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A Malaysian court commenced on Tuesday the trial of 39 Indonesian fishermen arrested after a two-hour sea chase during which the Malaysian navy fired on their boat, killing one crew member.

The Indonesian government has lodged an official protest about the shooting on Feb. 2, interception of the boat and subsequent arrest of the crew, which it said was inside Indonesian waters at the time.

Malaysia said the incident happened within its territorial waters and the patrol boat was forced to open fire when the trawler tried to ram it.

The 39 men are charged with illegal fishing and refusing demands to stop their vessel. The offenses were allegedly committed in the Strait of Malacca, 49 nautical miles off the island of Langkawi.

Assistant fisheries officer Shamsudin Othman told the magistrates' court in Langkawi that his department had never licensed foreign fishermen to fish in Malaysian waters.

Shamsudin was shown a letter authorizing fishing which was issued by the Indonesian Fisheries Directorate-General to the company which owned the trawler.

Shamsudin, who was quoted by Bernama news agency, said he had never seen the document before and it was not issued by his department.

Cross-examined by defense counsel Mohamed Rawi Abdul Hamid, Shamsudin also reportedly said he did not know about the United Nations Convention on fisheries.

The magistrate adjourned the case until next Monday but refused a bail application on behalf of three under-age crew members.

Observing the trial were H. Nurdin Harahap, head of the Indonesian Fishermen's Association, and a legal officer from the Indonesian Maritime Department, Chandra Motik Yusuf Djemat.