After foiling 75.7 tonnes of tin, Indonesian Navy tightens smuggling-prone routes
The Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) will increase patrols and surveillance along smuggling-prone routes to protect natural resources and prevent leakage of potential state revenue.
Commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command, Vice Admiral Denih Hendrata, said in Tanjungpandan, Belitung, Bangka Belitung Islands, on Wednesday that surveillance would be strengthened through intelligence activities, patrols, and an increased presence of Navy elements.
“We are committed to safeguarding Indonesia’s natural resource wealth for the national interest,” he said at a press conference on the foiling of the smuggling of 75.7 tonnes of illegal tin sand from East Belitung to Malaysia at the Mendanau Navy Post.
Denih said the move was in line with the President’s directive that smuggling is a shared problem that must be handled in an integrated manner through cross-agency synergy.
According to him, the success in foiling the smuggling of 75.7 tonnes of illegal tin sand was one result of the Navy’s synergy with the Indonesian Military, the National Police, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Customs and Excise, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), the Sea and Coast Guard Unit (KPLP), the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, local governments, and other relevant agencies.
Denih said the Indonesian Fleet Command would continue to strengthen coordination with law enforcement agencies as well as relevant ministries and institutions.
Surveillance of national waters will be enhanced through intensified intelligence activities, routine patrols, the presence of Navy elements in the field, information exchange, and deeper investigation of smuggling distribution networks.
Regarding the eradication of smuggling and maritime crime, Denih conveyed three emphases from the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, which must be adhered to by all Navy personnel.
These emphases include optimising patrols on smuggling-prone routes, strengthening synergy and joint operations with relevant agencies, and enforcing the law against violations in Indonesian waters and jurisdiction.
In addition, the Navy will strengthen cooperation and joint operations with the National Police, Customs and Excise, ministries and institutions, and other law enforcement officials.
“And law enforcement at sea, where Navy personnel must take firm action against any vessel or party proven to have committed legal violations in Indonesian waters and national jurisdiction in a professional, proportional manner, and in accordance with statutory regulations,” he said.
Denih said the foiling of the smuggling of 75.7 tonnes of illegal tin sand should serve as a momentum to improve intelligence activities, patrols, surveillance, and inter-agency synergy, particularly on smuggling-prone routes.
“To parties still attempting to commit legal violations at sea, I emphasise that Indonesia’s seas are not a free passage for smuggling this natural wealth. The Indonesian Navy will continue to be present to prevent, monitor, and take firm action against every legal violation at sea in order to protect natural resources and the national interest,” Denih said.