Navy chief warns foreign fishing vessels not to poach in RI waters
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Navy chief Adm. Bernard Kent Sondakh threatened on Friday to sink any foreign fishing vessel caught poaching in Indonesian waters.
"I would like to warn businesspeople operating foreign fishing vessels to stop their poaching in our waters because the Navy is determined to take strong action against them," he told the official Antara news agency.
Sondakh made the threat while speaking to journalists in the East Java capital of Surabaya on the sidelines of an inspection of the Chinese fishing vessel, the MV Sun Flower.
The ship, 6,220 GT in deadweight, had been caught poaching in the waters off Manado, North Sulawesi, by Navy patrol officers.
The MV Sun Flower was this year's biggest catch. When intercepted by patrol officers, it was carrying 4,036 tons of fish with an estimated value of Rp 40 billion (US$4.5 million).
Sondakh said poaching in Indonesian waters was still rampant, although the practice had somewhat decreased this year compared to 2001.
The four-star admiral said the ships arrested for poaching would be brought to justice and prosecuted to the full extent of the law to prevent them from committing the same offense in the future and to deter others.
"Lenient sentences would only encourage them to poach again," Sondakh said.
The admiral also said that the Navy would intensify security next year, by, among other things, deploying ex-German warships, which had been repaired.
"In addition, the Navy will also put into operation three 36- meter fast patrol ships from the domestic fleet," Sondakh said.
The Indonesian Navy has 116 ships, which is far short of the 300 that is considered ideal for serving the vast archipelago.
"Not all ships can be used because some of them are being repaired. However, with 138 ships, the Navy can provide reasonable enforcement," he said.
He said some areas were extremely vulnerable to poaching, such as the area nearby Arafuru island, the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea.