Indonesia Declares War on Illegal Foreign Fishing Boats

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Nov 18, 2014

Susi Pudjiastuti, the minister for maritime affairs and fisheries, visits a dock
 where impounded illegal foreign fishing vessels are kept, in Kubu Raya district,
West Kalimantan, on Saturday. (Antara Photo/Jessica Helena Wuysang)

Jakarta. Sink or swim: That’s the message the Indonesian government, backed by the Navy, is sending out to foreign fishing fleets poaching inside the country’s maritime borders.

Poaching costs the world’s biggest archipelagic nation some Rp 300 trillion ($24.7 billion) a year, President Joko Widodo said at the State Palace on Tuesday.

“I said it yesterday: Stop arresting [poachers] already and sink 10 or 20 boats so that they’ll think twice,” the president said as quoted by Detik.com.

“But of course, we have to save the people first,” he added.

Fishing, and developing Indonesia’s vast maritime potential in general, is a central pillar of the new government under Joko, who has laid out a vision for Indonesia to become a “global maritime axis.”

His remarks on Tuesday echoed those on Sunday by Susi Pudjiastuti, the maritime and fisheries minister, who called on local authorities in the Derawan Islands, part of Berau district in East Kalimantan, to burn the foreign fishing vessels caught poaching in the area.

“Go to work, burn those boats so they won’t keep doing this. Don’t burn the people, though; arrest them,” Susi said, following a patrol that netted three Malaysian-flagged vessels suspected of illegal fishing.

“Mr. District Chief, Mr. Police Chief, don’t be afraid. If there are any human rights problem, I’ll take the responsibility. Conduct a joint operation with five boats and armed officers. Once you catch them, confiscate the boats. But if there are many boats, burn one or two. Never give the boats back.”

The Navy has responded in a more restrained manner, saying on Tuesday that it had previously carried out a campaign of sinking foreign vessels found poaching in Indonesian waters, but stressed that due legal process needed to be respected.

Adm. Marsetio, the Navy chief of staff, said in Jakarta that he oversaw the previous campaign when he commanded the Navy’s Eastern Fleet.

“It was effective. There were some protests from the ambassadors from the countries [in which the vessels were registered] but they saw that the boat crews were kept safe,” Marsetio said.

“We also worked together with the embassies to deport the crews. The campaign helped prevent similar acts,” he added.

The Navy chief was quick to point out that they could not do this to all vessels suspected of poaching, saying the legal process had to be respected. However, he said the Navy would sink boats caught red-handed “trying to take Indonesia’s natural resources without any proper documents.”

“There have been several instances where we’ve sunk boats illegally entering our waters. But that depends on their crime,” Marsetio said. “In the case of boats found without the proper documentation, we secure the crews first and then we sink the boats to stop them doing that again.”

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