Indonesia seizes Malaysian, Philippine-flagged vessels for poaching

Jakarta, June 26 (IANS) The Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has apprehended a Malaysian-flagged boat in the Malacca Strait and a Philippine-flagged vessel in the country's Economic Exclusive Zone for poaching, an official said.Indonesia is committed to taking stern measures against illegal fishing perpetrators who poach in the Indonesian waters, the Ministry's Acting Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision Antam Novambar said in a statement on Friday.Novambar said that an illegal foreign fishing vessel with the Malaysian flag KM.SLFA 5269 was held in the Indonesian waters continental shelf area in the Malacca Strait on June 22.The FB.ca YAYA-3 ship with the Philippine flag was seized from the Indonesian Economic Exclusive Zone of the Sulawesi Sea on June 24.The Ministry's Director of Fleet Monitoring and Operations, Pung Nugroho Saksono said four crew members consisting of two Malaysians and two Indonesians from the KM.SLFA 5269 were detained, and five crew members, all Filipinos, were arrested from the FB.ca YAYA-3.The perpetrators have been sent to the Ministry's bases in Batam city, Riau Islands province, and Bitung city, North Sulawesi province, for further investigation, Saksono said.With the arrests of the two illegal foreign boats, the Ministry has seized 119 vessels during 2021. Of the 119, 78 are from Indonesia, while 41 are foreign fishing vessels, 12 from Malaysia, six from the Philippines and 23 from Vietnam.
--IANS ksk/