Navy detains 34 Thais, four ships
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya/Arafura Sea
Thirty-four Thais have been apprehended and four ships intercepted by the Navy for allegedly smuggling diesel fuel and poaching in Indonesian waters, a Navy official said on Monday.
Commander of the Navy's Eastern Fleet Rear Adm. Yosaphat Didik Heru Purnomo said the Navy had apprehended last Thursday during its patrol of the Arafura Sea Jeditson Manope, the Thai captain of Indonesian-flagged tanker ship the MT Nuhuyut along with 10 Thai crew members for allegedly smuggling 40 tones of diesel fuel.
He said the Navy ship KRI Tjiptadi-881, captained by Maj. Kisdiyanto, had also apprehended last Wednesday 23 other Thais, who were allegedly involved in poaching in the Arafuru Sea, in three Thai-flagged ships the KM Dechmanee-24, the MV Sriwicaci-2 and the MV Khanti Chai.
The MT Nuhuyut captained by Jediston was reportedly intercepted by the KRI Kakap 811 led by Maj. Antonius Widya and was then taken to the Navy port in Tual, Southeast Maluku regency. The Navy also arrested three Indonesian crew members of the ship.
"In the preliminary investigation, the ship (MT Nuhuyut) was not equipped with a delivery order nor purchase receipts and was transporting diesel fuel without the proper documentation," Yosaphat said.
He said the Navy would handle the case together with investigators from the Energy and Mineral Resources Department.
If found guilty, they suspects could face up to four years' imprisonment or a fine of up to Rp 40 billion (US$4 million) as stipulated in articles 53 and 22 of Law No. 22/2001 on oil and gas. The crew also allegedly violated the law by selling fuel to foreign ships, which is punishable with up to six years' imprisonment and a fine of up to Rp 60 billion.
"If the crew are proven to be selling subsidized fuel to foreign ships we will seek the severest punishment for them as our own people are suffering fuel problems," Yosaphat said.
Apart from the MT Nuhuyut, the Navy also intercepted three Thai-flagged fishing ships and apprehended a total of 23 Thai crew members. However, the Navy did not provide more details of the incident, only saying the ships and crew had been taken to the Navy port in Tual, Southeast Maluku.
When the Navy boarded the three ships, they found 80 tones of fresh fish. The crew were unable to produce the documents required to fish in Indonesian waters.
No response was available from the Thai Embassy regarding the incident.
The Navy, which has been working to crack down on illegal fishing by foreigners, apprehended a Chinese-flagged ship, also allegedly caught poaching in the Arafura Sea last month. During this operation, a Chinese crew member was killed and two others were injured.