Oz customs arrests RI fishermen

Oz customs arrests RI fishermen

AUSTRALIA: Australian authorities arrested a group of Indonesian fishermen who brandished burning poles and threw lead weights at agents who boarded their boat and later found a big haul of sharks' fins, Australia's justice minister said on Wednesday.

Australian fisheries authorities will investigate whether the vessel was fishing illegally inside Australia's territorial waters, Justice Minister Chris Ellison said. Finning sharks is illegal in Australia.

The nine-member crew would be prosecuted "to the full force of Australian law," Ellison said in a statement. "We want to send a clear message that aggression toward our officials on the seas will not be tolerated by Australia, especially within our own territorial waters."

After a tense high seas pursuit inside Australia's northern waters, customs and navy ships fired warning shots at the ship, Ellison said.

Customs inspectors found two holds full of dried shark fin and more than 50 whole sharks on board the vessel, as well as sophisticated commercial fishing equipment, including a global positioning system, depth sounder and satellite phone, he said. --AP