Prabowo Targets Completion of 1,386 Fishermen's Villages by December

President Prabowo Subianto has targeted the completion of 1,386 Merah Putih Fishermen’s Villages by the end of this year. “This year, in December, we will inaugurate 1,386 fishing villages across Indonesia,” Prabowo said during his visit to Miangas Island, North Sulawesi, as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday, 9 May 2026. Prabowo stated that the Merah Putih Fishermen’s Villages will feature various facilities for fishermen, including ice makers, access to shrimp seeds, and cold storage warehouses to preserve seafood for longer periods. Additionally, the villages will be equipped with dedicated fuel stations for fishing boats. “We will extensively improve the conditions of fishermen throughout Indonesia,” said the former defence minister. Prabowo mentioned that one such village will be built on Miangas Island and could be completed within five months if construction starts next month. “Hopefully, there will be a fishing village here in a short time,” he said. Prabowo also highlighted the addition of facilities on Miangas during the era of former President Joko Widodo. In 2016, Jokowi inaugurated the Miangas Airport, which had been under construction since 2012. Continuing those efforts, Prabowo now aims to build facilities to assist local fishermen. “There is already an airport; perhaps we can market the fish products to increase income,” he said. Currently, Prabowo noted, the government has provided assistance in the form of boats to Miangas. Those boats weigh 15 gross tons. Prabowo visited Miangas after attending the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines. Miangas is the island closest to the Indonesia-Philippines border, located in the Talaud Islands Regency, North Sulawesi. Prabowo landed at Miangas Airport on Saturday, 9 May 2026, around 10:45 WITA. The Gerindra Party Chairman was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sugiono and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Prabowo arrived in Miangas via a direct flight from the Philippines. “He returned to the homeland today, but before going to Jakarta, he stopped by for some agendas there (Miangas),” Sugiono said, as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday. Prabowo’s arrival in Miangas was welcomed by several members of the Merah Putih Cabinet, including Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono. Others present included Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid, Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and Deputy Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces General Tandyo Budi Revita.