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.