KANUPRIYA KAPOOR Reuters 19 Nov 14;
(Reuters) - Indonesia on Wednesday detained 200 Malaysians found fishing illegally in its waters, as it moves to stem billions of dollars in economic losses, a senior government official told Reuters.
A crackdown on illegal fishing, which costs the vast archipelagic nation around $25 billion a year, kicked off this week, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto told Reuters in a rare interview.
The drive is likely to spark tension with countries in the region, as new President Joko Widodo adopts a more assertive stance on the maritime sector of Southeast Asia's largest economy.
"The president has said our maritime sector is in a state of emergency...so we need a new, bold approach and that's why he's declared a war on illegal fishing," said Widjajanto, an expert on defense and foreign affairs.
"We are trying to send a clear message to our neighbors like Malaysia and China, which operate illegal ships in our territory, that this is not a normal situation for us."
Widjajanto said he expected at least 300 more illegal fishermen to be detained in the next few days.
The comments follow strong rhetoric from Widodo, who called this week for foreign ships to be sunk if they were discovered sailing without permission in Indonesian waters.
"Sink 10 to 20," the Jakarta Post newspaper reported Widodo as saying. "It would make them think," he added, referring to illegal fishermen.
"But remember to rescue the onboard crew first."
Indonesia also plans to lodge diplomatic protests with the countries involved, to pre-empt complaints over the capture of their citizens, said Widjajanto.
Indonesia aims to launch a new coastguard force in mid-December tasked with preventing piracy and illegal fishing, and safeguarding maritime borders, the chief security minister told Reuters last week.
(Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Minister: No Malaysian fishermen detained in Indonesia
MAZWIN NIK ANIS AND FARIK ZOLKEPLI The Star 21 Nov 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is in the dark over a report that Indonesia had detained 200 Malaysian fishermen for illegally fishing in its waters.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Wisma Putra and it's office in Indonesia were trying to confirm if the incident took place.
"As of now, we have not been able to authenticate or confirm the report. We are still checking," he told The Star Online.
Reuters reported that Indonesia on Wednesday detained 200 Malaysians found fishing illegally in its waters, as it moves to stem billions of dollars in economic losses.
Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto was quoted as saying that a crackdown on illegal fishing, which costs the vast archipelagic nation around $25bil a year, kicked off this week.
"The president has said our maritime sector is in a state of emergency...so we need a new, bold approach and that's why he's declared a war on illegal fishing," said Widjajanto, an expert on defence and foreign affairs.
Neither Agriculture and Agro-based Ministry nor the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) were also aware of the detention of Malaysian fishermen.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said there had been no report of fishermen not returning from their expedition.
"I have checked with the fisheries department whether they were informed of such matter but they too, are in the dark," he added.
MMEA deputy director-general (Operation) Datuk Mohd Puzi Ab Kahar said the report was an outrageous allegation.
“I can safely say that there is no such number of fishermen being detained by our Indonesian counterparts in the last two or three years,” he said.
“The agency and our Indonesian counterparts have always cooperated in terms of border patrols.
“If any of our citizens encroached in each other’s boundaries, we would know it,” added Mohd Puzi.
Foreign Ministry: Fisherman detained in Indonesia not Malaysians, do not speak Bahasa Malaysia
LOH FOON FONG The Star 27 Nov 14;
PUTRAJAYA: Preliminary investigations have revealed that the fishermen detained in Indonesian waters for illegal fishing are not Malaysians as they do not speak Bahasa Malaysia nor possess Malaysian identification documents.
The investigation was undertaken by the Malaysian consulate in Pontianak, Indonesia, together with the Indonesian authorities on Nov 22, the Foreign Ministry said in a press statement Wednesday.
The Ministry also said that Indonesian authorities claimed to have detained 524 boat people and 153 boats while conducting a security and public order operation Nov 16 to 17 around Berau district, East Kalimantan and between Pulau Derawan up to Pulau Panjang, Berau, East Kalimantan.
The detainees were held for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters and violating immigration rules for not possessing a permit or valid identification.
Indonesian authorities were in the midst of verifying the identity and personal information of the detainees, it said.
It said the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia had received a diplomatic note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia on the matter on Nov 24, it said.
"The Foreign Ministry will continue to communicate with the Indonesian authorities to verify the citizenship of the detainees, so that consular assistance could be rendered to them accordingly.
"Malaysia hopes that the verification process by the Indonesian authorities could be completed as soon as possible," it said.
It was reported Saturday that the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta had sent its officers on a fact-finding mission to determine if the 200 fishermen detained in Kalimantan were indeed Malaysians.
A foreign news report had said that Indonesia detained the fishermen during a crackdown on illegal fishing, but details on their identity were sketchy.
