Foreign fishermen jailed in Sumatra

PADANG, West Sumatra: The Padang District Court sentenced to jail on Tuesday 21 fishermen for operating large trawling nets in the North Sumatra waters. The 21 fishermen from Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia received various jail sentence ranging from two months to two years in prison.

The defendants were arrested by officials from the West Sumatra Maritime Affairs Office when they went fishing on Dec. 4, 2004 in waters off Sikara-kara near the border between North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces.

The use of trawling nets is prohibited as they damage coral reefs and the delicate marine ecosystem. -- JP