Police arrest sea pirates

Police arrest sea pirates

MANADO, North Sulawesi: North Sulawesi Police have arrested
nine suspected pirates for allegedly hijacking a Taiwanese
fishing boat in waters off Sangihe Talaud district on Dec. 27.

Provincial police spokesman Adj. Sr. Com. Bambang Purnomo said
on Thursday night that the nine were arrested in Sorong, Papua
between Jan. 11 and Jan. 12.

The suspects, all residents of Bitung district, allegedly
hijacked the MV Kua Sheun No. 66, which was carrying 600 tons of
fish, near Tagulandang and Biarto islands.

Bambang said that local police, in cooperation with Sorong
Police, were still searching for three more pirates.

The suspects took over control of the Taiwanese boat after
following it on a speedboat owned by a private firm in Wori
subdistrict, Minahasa district.

The International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur has reported
that pirate attacks in Indonesian waters topped 100 cases last
year, an increase from about 92 the previous year. --Antara