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