RI wants answers on fisherman's death

RI wants answers on fisherman's death

AUSTRALIA: The Indonesian embassy in Australia demanded an explanation Saturday of how an Indonesian fisherman died while being detained in his boat moored at the northern city of Darwin.

The embassy said fishing boat skipper Muhammad Hari, 37, died on Thursday as he and his nine crew were being held on the vessel after being arrested two weeks ago for illegal fishing off Australia.

It is the second such death in Darwin in the past three years.

"The Indonesian embassy further requests that this event should not be repeated and that Australia should take appropriate steps to ensure that other detainees receive proper health care during their custody," the statement said.

The death comes after Australia captured more than 20 foreign boats and some 200 crew, mostly Indonesian, this month in the country's largest air and sea operation against illegal fishing.

At a ministerial meeting in Canberra last month, Australia assured Indonesia that fishermen caught illegally trawling in its waters would be humanely treated in a detention center.

Conditions for illegal fishermen were criticized by an Australian coroner last year after an Indonesian fisherman died in 2003 after being forced to live aboard his cramped boat for weeks when it was moored in Darwin harbor. - AFP