Indonesia Seizes Philippines, Vietnam Illegal Fishing Boats in Papua Waters
Jakarta. Indonesian authorities have intercepted two Filipino and Vietnamese vessels for allegedly looting fish in the waters of Raja Ampat, Papua province, a military official said.
The vessels, carrying 10 and 13 crewmen, were detained on Tuesday morning (31/05) by an Indonesian military vessel after being pursued for around 13 hours.
The vessels, measuring 12 and 14 gross tons respectively, were intercepted after refusing to heed orders to stop and three warning shots, said Lt. Col. Maman Sulaeman, a spokesman for the Indonesian Navy.
"They had no willingness to stop and tried to evade. But they eventually gave up," Maman said on Tuesday, as quoted by state-run Antara, adding that they were then taken to the Sorong naval base in West Papua.
The spokesman said military personnel seized eight tons of sea cucumbers which were allegedly taken from Raja Ampat waters from the Filipino vessel.
Neither vessel had permits to operate and crew members failed to produce identity cards, Maman added.
The Indonesian government is currently ramping up patrols of Indonesian waters in line with strict policies against illegal fishing in vulnerable border regions.
A similar incident occurred off Natuna Islands, where Indonesia last week detained a Chinese fishing boat.
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