Fishermen protest security in North Sumatra waters

Fishermen protest security in North Sumatra waters

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Some 800 local fishermen staged a demonstration at the North
Sumatra legislative council on Monday to protest the recent
abduction of fishermen and extortion, an indication of poor
security in the waters adjacent to the province.

The demonstrators called on the legislative council to seek
clarification from the naval base in Belawan and to request that
it stop extorting money from local fishermen.

They threatened to obstruct waterways for foreign ships
entering the province unless the security was enhanced on the
waters.

On Saturday, the fishermen also held a demonstration at the
naval base to seek a security assurance for fishing ships from
the local Navy leadership but they failed to meet with Col.
Koesno, chief of the naval base.

Sardi, representing the demonstrators, said they regretted
that local security authorities failed to maintain security on
the waters, despite high charges imposed on fishermen.

Small vessels are asked to pay around Rp 50,000 (US$8) per day
while large ships are each obliged to pay Rp 200,000 to Rp 300,00
per day.

"We cannot refuse the demands of the security personnel. If we
did they would surely beat us," he told The Jakarta Post.

Sardi acknowledged that most fishermen would not go fishing
following the recent abduction by gunmen of 50 crew members from
two fishing ships near Berhala Island off Belawan port.

Deputy secretary of the local chapter of the Indonesian
Fishermen's Association (HNSI) Ihya Hulumuddin, said several of
the abducted fishermen had made radio contact with their
colleagues at Belawan before being abducted last week.

"They shouted they were being abducted but later, radio
contact was broken off," he said, citing the number of fishermen
abducted by gunmen over the last two years had reached 121.

He said HNSI had enhanced coordination with local security
authorities to search for the abducted fishermen but so far, no
progress had been made.

B. Zebua of the local police's air unit, said the police had
intensified the search along the coastal areas of the province
and restive Aceh.

Deputy chairman of the provincial legislature Serta Ginting
pledged that the legislative council would seek clarification
from the naval base chief on the abduction and alleged extortion.

Spokesman for the naval base First Lieut. Arief denied the
accusation about extortion, saying the naval base had never
imposed charges on fishermen operating on the waters.

"It is our obligation to maintain security in the waters but
we have never imposed any charges on fishermen," he said on
Monday.