Thai fishermen invade RI waters

CIREBON, West Java: Indonesia loses about US$4 billion a year to illegal fishing by Thais, Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Rokhmin Dahuri says.

"Thai fishermen control nearly 80 percent of Indonesian waters using vessels that fly the Indonesian flag," Rokhmin told reporters on Saturday.

Data from his ministry shows that every year around 3,200 vessels flying the Indonesian flag enter the country's waters.

Next to Thailand, poachers come from the Philippines, Taiwan, China and South Korea.

Rokhmin said that Indonesia's vast ocean made it susceptible to foreign poachers. Last week the Navy captured two foreign vessels carrying crew members from Thailand.

Fish poaching remains rampant despite the government's tougher measures. The Navy has occasionally sunk fleeing foreign vessels. -- JP