Thai sailors poaching in RI water

Thai sailors poaching in RI water

JAKARTA: Thai Ambassador to Indonesia Chaiyong Satjiponan
admitted Monday that many sailors from his country were fishing
illegally in Indonesian waters, but defended them, saying that
they were not aware of the borders between the two countries.

"The issue (poaching) should be resolved as soon as possible
by the two countries," Chaiyong was quoted by Antara as saying
after a meeting with East Kalimantan Deputy Governor Yurnalis
Ngayoh in Samarinda on Monday.

"We from the Thai Embassy and the Indonesian government are
still trying to resolve the problem and hope to find the best
solution for both countries," he said.

Marine and Fisheries Minister Rokhmin Dahuri said earlier that
more than one million tons of fish worth up to US$3 billion were
stolen by foreign fishermen every year.

Of the one million tons, 800,000 tons were stolen by Thai
sailors, while the remainder was plundered by fishermen from the
Philippines, Malaysia, and China. --Antara