Batam Police arrest pirates

Batam Police arrest pirates

The Jakarta Post, Batam

Riau Islands' air and water police apprehended seven out of 12
pirates who had taken over boats for eight hours in Berakit
waters in Riau Islands regency, an official said on Tuesday.

Water police unit commander, Sr. Comr. Imam B. Sumpeno, told
The Jakarta Post that the boats, Bahar XXVII and Bahar 11
belonging to PT Habco Primatama in Pekanbaru, were taken by force
by 12 pirates operating in the Malacca Strait on Sunday at 1 a.m.

The boats had just been made by PT Bandar Victory Shipyard in
Sekupang Batam.

"We got the report at 9 a.m. (on Sunday). As soon as we
obtained the boats' route from the owners, we searched for the
pirates. These waters (near Riau Islands) are prone to piracy,"
Imam said.

The seven arrested pirates were Doni, 39; Anton, 29;
Hermansyah, 35; Maksimus N., 28; Frans B., 54; Samsudin, 51; and
Daymond, 28. The remaining pirates managed to escape.

The two boats, worth Rp 30 billion (US$3.1 million), were
scheduled to travel from Sekupang in Batam to South Kalimantan.

The pirates managed to change the name of Bahar 11 to Ayu.

"The pirates are part of an international ship piracy
syndicate," said Imam, adding that the boats would have been
taken to Thailand.

The boats are now anchored at Batu Ambar port in Batam.

According to air and water police's data, the number of
pirated ships has been declining. In 2004, 14 ships were pirated,
of which five cases were solved. In 2003, it recorded 20 cases,
while from January to April this year, it has recorded five
cases.

Commander of Bahar 11 ship, Dwi Darmanto, said the pirates
moved to his ship from a small motorized boat in Berakit waters,
and threatened the crew with sharp weapons.

"One of the pirates who was using a homemade firearm, demanded
that I surrender the ship's documents. After that they dumped us
on Karas island. Fortunately, my cell phone still worked there so
we could contact the company and called the police," Dwi said.