JP/5/sailor
Fishermen strike over abductions
Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post Medan, North Sumatra
Thousands of fishermen from Tanjung Balai regency, North Sumatra, have gone on strike for five days in a protest against abductions by unidentified gunmen operating in waters off the eastern coast of Asahan.
They said on Friday that they would continue striking indefinitely until they felt it was safe to go fishing again.
The strike has caused the price of fish to soar in traditional markets due to a shortage of supply.
S. Silalahi, a fisherman working at the Mawar Saritama fish storage facility in Tanjung Balai, said the decision was unanimously agreed by local fishermen.
He said that many fishermen had to cancel trips to sea as they were afraid of being held hostage by armed men.
Hamdan, the Tanjung Balai Indonesian Fishermen's Association chairman, said the mass sit-in was inevitable because abductions in Asahan waters had continued to increase.
He said he received reports that fishing boats were released after they paid ransoms to unknown abductors who had firearms.
"At least two fishing boats were seized by bandits this month; after receiving money, they usually freed the vessels," said Hamdan.
North Sumatra Indonesian Fishermen's Association head Nurdin Harahap confirmed reports of rampant abductions in waters off Asahan.
It was quite difficult for fishermen to resist the hostage- takers, he said.
Quoting information from several victims, Nurdin said the bandits were usually armed with pistols and rifles and that their identities remained unknown.
"Who they are is not clear. Whether fishermen themselves were acting as abductors or other groups were is still a mystery -- we just don't know. If it's clear, we'll hunt them down," Nurdin told The Jakarta Post.
According to fishermen's association records, abductions have taken place hundreds of times over the years.
Nurdin said the Malacca Strait was one of the areas most prone to abductions.
"Of around 150,000 fishermen in North Sumatra, many have been killed thus far, but the problem has never been overcome," he said.
Nurdin demanded that the relevant authorities intensify security operations in the Malacca Strait to put an end to hostage-taking there.