Residents swarm to shrimp ponds
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of people swarmed to shrimp ponds in Salembaran Jaya village, Kosambi district on the Teluknaga coast yesterday, waiting to get their share in the shrimp harvest.
Carrying nets, residents -- including children -- stood on the muddy banks of the ponds under the hot midday sun, hoping to collect some remaining shrimps after the scheduled harvest took place.
About 1.5 tons of shrimps were stolen from ponds on Monday night by 2,000 people who raided the area, causing Rp 180 million in losses.
The people who swarmed to the area yesterday came from several local villages, such as Lemo, Tanjung Pasir, Salembaran Jaya, Ketapang and Rawa Lumpang.
"I heard that there is going to be a big harvest this afternoon," said Sutar, 32, one of the villagers.
One shrimp-pond attendant, Uding, said that Monday night's theft was the first incident ever to occur in the area.
"It seemed that a group of hoodlums were taking advantage of the situation by pushing and inciting people to raid the ponds," he said.
Another villager, however, said the incident would not have happened if the pond owners asked nearby residents to participate in the harvest.
"They (the owners) usually invite people from faraway villages to help them," said the resident.
Shrimp pond owners in the country commonly observe an unwritten rule which allows local residents to collect shrimp remaining in the ponds after the harvest has taken place.
Local administration staffer Ahmad Yasir added: "The owners even never introduced themselves to Pak Hermansyah, our camat (district head)."
Dozens of military personnel on motorcycles were seen on guard at the scene.
Meanwhile in Jakarta, police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said yesterday that police had questioned 80 people allegedly involved in the plundering of a shrimp pond in Tangerang on Monday.
"We are currently investigating the case. If there is strong evidence that these people were involved in the looting of the shrimp pond then we will prosecute them," Noegroho said.
However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the attitude of the pond's owners, whom he said had failed to establish a good relationship with local villagers and authorities.
"If they had discussed their problems and come to an understanding then Monday's incident could have been prevented.
"The owners should have developed a close and friendly relationship with local residents to prevent theft and violence," he said.
"Shrimp harvests take place at regular intervals so the owners should have easily been able to predict the villagers' actions," Noegroho added. (edt/41)