Best of our wild blogs: 18 Aug 15

Satin of the Stream
Saving MacRitchie

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Malaysia: Green turtle lays eggs at Batu Ferringhi

The Star 18 Aug 15;

GEORGE TOWN: The green turtle laboured out of the sea, made its way up the beach, made a dry nest and then followed up with its primary nest about 2m away.

It was nature taking its course but it left many awestruck.

The beach was in the thick of the Batu Ferringhi tourism belt and it was the first time in 20 years that a turtle had laid eggs there.

The reptile surfaced at about 5am yesterday and crawled till it was less than 3m from the edge of Golden Sands Resort before making its dry nest, a ruse to trick scavengers. It then laid 140 eggs in its primary nest.

Resort workers who were alerted by a dog’s incessant yelping went down to the beach and were struck with wonder.

“The dog wouldn’t stop barking but luckily, the turtle didn’t seem to care,” said Golden Sands Resort service leader Azmin Afu Hasan.

He took a video of the turtle burying its eggs before it returned to sea.

“It was so big! The head was as large as a watermelon, and I saw the turtle shed tears after laying the eggs,” Azmin said after giving his video recording to The Star.

Green turtles are actually brown with whitish undersides but get their name because their body fat is the colour of jade.

M. Gandhi, 50, who has been working at the Batu Ferringhi beach for over 20 years, claimed to have seen two false crawls in the last two weeks.

“I haven’t seen this here for about 20 years. When I was a child, we would go early to the beach for many days after seeing the first turtle tracks.

“The turtles will make a few false crawls before they finally lay eggs,” he said.

About 140 green turtle eggs recovered from the nest in front of golden sand resort at batu ferringhi. starpic by GOH GAIK LEE/The Star/ 17 A ug 2015.

Resort communications director Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman reported the turtle nest to fisheries officer Mohd Syahrulnizam Ismail, who arrived at 11am with two team members.

The fisheries team used coconut shells and gingerly dug a narrow pit just 20cm in diameter and almost a metre deep before locating the eggs.

They quickly transferred the eggs into a polystyrene case, taking care to envelop each egg in sand. Three eggs were damaged in the process.

The team will incubate and hatch the remaining eggs at the Pantai Kerachut Turtle Sanctuary on the northern edge of the island.

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Myanmar farmers need help replanting rice after floods: U.N.

Timothy Mclaughlin PlanetArk 17 Aug 15;

Farmers in flood-hit Myanmar face a scramble to replant damaged paddy fields in the next two weeks to avoid food shortages, and aid efforts in some of the country's hardest hit areas remain a challenge, the United Nations said on Saturday.

More than 1.3 million people have been critically affected and at least 106 people have died since heavy monsoon rains coupled with a cyclone last month caused floods across the country, according to the government.

Water has receded in many areas, allowing farmers to assess the damage to their crops and also to seed stocks as the end of planting season nears.

"If farmers aren't able to get rice seeds and plant in the next two weeks the window for the next season is pretty much over," said Pierre Peron, spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) in Myanmar.

"If they are not able to replant they will miss out completely on this season and the impact on food security will be much larger than if we can provide them with support to replant."

Myanmar is a rice exporter, but has halted exports to stabilize prices.

The U.N. and NGOs have supplied emergency food assistance to 386,000 people impacted by the floods, OCHA said in its latest situation report on the flooding.

Over 1.4 million acres of paddy was flooded, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The crops in over 500,000 acres have been destroyed in what has been the worst natural disaster in Myanmar since Cyclone Nargis killed nearly 140,000 people in May 2008.

The government has provided $1.2 million for paddy seeds in Rakhine State, one of the hardest hit areas, but, "further support will be needed to help farmers and rural communities rebuild", OCHA said.

In Chin State, a mountainous region bordering Bangladesh and India, where heavy rains caused major landslides, aid workers were still struggling to access some of the state's more remote regions.

"Access to areas in Chin State has been difficult and continues to be difficult," Peron said on Saturday.

In the capital of Hakh five out of six townships experienced landslides that damaged hundreds of homes.

Zung Hlei Thang, an MP representing Chin State, said the prices of rice and other commodities had risen sharply since the landslides made many state roads largely impassable, stemming imports.

"The living conditions are difficult," he said.

(Additional reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Simon Webb and Susan Thomas)

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Best of our wild blogs: 17 Aug 15

Three nets kill blacktip reef sharks, fishes, crabs and more on Lazarus Island (16 Aug 2015)
Project Driftnet Singapore

Seagrass critters of Cyrene Reef
wonderful creation

Seagrasses making a comeback at Cyrene?
wild shores of singapore

Burrowing Giant Clam (Tridacna crocea @ Cyrene Reef
Monday Morgue

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More than 10 blacktip reef sharks, 30 crabs found in fishing nets at Lazarus Island

Audrey Tan Straits Times 16 Aug 15;

SINGAPORE - Thirteen blacktip reef sharks and more than 30 crabs of various species were found in three fishing nets on Lazarus Island, located south of the Republic, on Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, all the sharks caught in the gillnets were dead, although a number of crabs managed to survive after they were disentangled and released by the people who found them.

The St John's Island Marine Laboratory said in a Facebook post on Sunday morning that the shark carcasses are being stored in its freezer and will be passed to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum for analysis.

The lab, which is part of the National University of Singapore's Tropical Marine Science Institute, also called for responsible fishing.

Replying to one of the comments on the post, the institute said that the fishermen who laid the nets "were remorseful and not defensive when talked to about the destructive effects of (the) nets".

The page also noted in a comment: "They (the fishermen) even helped to bring the nets to land. Nobody want this to happen. Let's continue to remind each other on using our nature areas responsibly."

Gillnets are nets typically made of monofilament or multifilament nylon that hang in the water column. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the mesh sizes are designed to allow fish to get only their head through the netting, but not their body. The fish's gills then get caught in the mesh as the fish tries to back out of the net.

Dr Tan Heok Hui, a fish expert from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, told The Straits Times that some sharks need to move in order to respire. "Blacktip reef sharks are one of those that need to move constantly," he said.

"From the photo, (the dead sharks) all appear to be of the same cohort as they are all around the same size. Some could even be siblings," he said.

The sharks that were found dead are likely to have been juveniles.

13 young sharks found dead in fishing nets at Lazarus Island
Audrey Tan Straits Times 17 Aug 15;

Thirteen juvenile blacktip reef sharks were found dead yesterday in three fishing nets at Lazarus Island, south of Singapore.

More than 30 crabs of various species, some fish and a blue-spotted ray were also found in the gillnets. Several crabs were able to survive after they were disentangled and released by those who found them.

Marine enthusiast Rene Ong, who discovered the casualties, said she was out on a regular intertidal trip when she saw the nets.

They had apparently been laid out overnight by someone who had booked a chalet on St John's Island, which is connected to Lazarus Island by a link bridge.

"When I tried to remove the nets, the guys who placed them there came back. They were apologetic about the kill, but the damage was done," said Ms Ong, who spent about four hours disentangling the live crabs from the nets. Joining her in her efforts were staff and a student from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

She added: "They wanted the nets back, so I could not just cut the nets and release the animals. Thankfully, they agreed to let me have the sharks, and to release any catch that they couldn't eat."

The shark carcasses are being stored in a freezer at the St John's Island Marine Laboratory - part of the NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute. They will be passed to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum for analysis.

Dr Tan Heok Hui, a fish expert from the museum, told The Straits Times that some sharks need to move in order to breathe. "Blacktip reef sharks are one of those that need to move constantly," he said.

"From the photo, (the dead sharks) all appear to be of the same cohort, as they are all around the same size. Some could even be siblings," he noted.

The find, although unfortunate, shows that Singapore's waters are thriving with marine life.

Mr Stephen Beng from the Marine Conservation Group of the Nature Society (Singapore) said the presence of apex predators, such as sharks, is a good indicator of a healthy reef.

He said that, since he first started diving here more than 25 years ago, blacktip reef sharks and bottom-dwelling bamboo sharks have been sighted at Singapore's reefs.

He noted that, now, with a sanctuary in the form of the Sisters' Islands Marine Park, their populations are expected to grow.

Added Mr Beng, who runs the Sea Hounds dive centre: "Gillnetting on shallow reef flats not only wipes out fish, but also physically damages the reefs. The relevant agencies should regulate recreational fishermen to ensure that they do not damage our reefs.

"While our Government tries its best to balance development with environmental sustainability, we can do our part by... educating fishermen about practices that put pressure on our limited reef resources."

Related link
Compiled social media posts on the Project Driftnet blog.

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Punggol #instagramtree's days numbered

Amir Hussain Straits Times AsiaOne 17 Aug 15;


Photo: The Straits Times

All alone on a piece of state land in Punggol is a tree which has its own following on Instagram. Standing on top of a small hill along a waterway, it provides a stark contrast to much of Singapore's built-up urban environment.

But the tree, so famous that it even shows up on Google Maps as "Punggol Lone Tree", is dead after being struck by lightning about a month ago, leaving just half its branches.

"Some of the branches are starting to rot," said Mr Goh Si Guim, a Nature Society (Singapore) executive committee member.

Experts have identified it as an Albizia tree. The species is "an incredibly fast-growing tree species from eastern Indonesia", said Dr Shawn Lum, president of the Nature Society (Singapore).

Over 900 photos have been tagged #instagramtree on Instagram, most of them showing the Punggol tree.

Marketing manager Tricia Quak said she took at least 50 photos with the tree in its full glory a month ago.

"From the photo angles that I saw on social media, there were no buildings that were captured in the background, and the tree seemed to be in the middle of very empty land - extremely rare in our small city of clutter," she said.

Despite the poor state the tree is in now, some people are still taking photos with it. Operations executive Eyzat Amer, 40, paid a visit with his wife and four children, aged four to 15, at around 7pm a few weeks ago, after seeing photos of it on Instagram.

"It's still very picturesque," he said, adding that the photos "don't even look like it's in Singapore".

Instagram user jamieljm wrote: "I've always thought that I'll get to see this tree in its best form and took my time in coming round to see it and this just taught me to never take things for granted; to not assume that things will never change."

Dr Lum did not see a need to have the dead tree removed. "It will eventually topple and break apart and get recycled back into the earth, so I see no reason to remove it, unless experts deem it a hazard."

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/punggol-instagramtrees-days-numbered#sthash.fdaZspjH.dpuf

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Best of our wild blogs: 16 Aug 15

The truth behind “Saving Sungei Buloh”
Bird Ecology Study Group

Baby shark at Big Sister's Island
wonderful creation

Checking up on Big Sisters Island
wild shores of singapore

3,500 volunteers in 67 organisations registered for September’s International Coastal Cleanup in Singapore
News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Showing our love for Singapore: National Day Coastal Cleanup @ Lim Chu Kang
News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Butterfly of the Month - August 2015
Butterflies of Singapore

Night Walk At Venus Drive (14 Aug 2015)
Beetles@SG BLOG

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The man behind Sungei Buloh

Subaraj Rajathurai Straits Times Forum 16 Aug 15;

It was Mr Richard Hale, an avid birdwatcher, who in 1986 first came across the area of mangroves that the Nature Society successfully lobbied to conserve as the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve ("Saving Sungei Buloh"; last Sunday).

He was impressed with the thousands of migratory birds using the area, which had arrived to refuel before continuing their journey back to their breeding grounds in the north.

He knew of no other birdwatchers there at the time, until he met Dr Christopher Hails, who was then with the Ministry of National Development's Parks and Recreation Department, working to bring birdlife back to the urban environment.

No one else knew of the area until Mr Hale got together a small group of Nature Society members that included Dr Clive Briffett, Dr Hails, Dr Ho Hua Chew, Dr Rexon Ngim and myself, to spend eight months preparing an illustrated booklet highlighting the richness of Sungei Buloh's birdlife.

The document detailed the potential of the area as "a veritable microcosm of culture and natural history interest" and pointed out its educational value.

Included were suggestions on how the area could be managed, including a visitors' centre and a programme of guided walks.

Copies of the proposal were sent to permanent secretaries, ministers, MPs, as well as the prime minister and president, and anyone who could be of help.

Mr Hale worked tirelessly behind the scenes. With his network of contacts, he persuaded key decision-makers, including then President Wee Kim Wee, to visit the area . Perhaps as a result of the behind-the-scenes lobbying and Mr Hale's personal touch, the Government responded positively.

By 1989, Sungei Buloh Nature Park (now Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve) became a reality, and it was officially announced by then National Development Minister S. Dhanabalan.

At the closing ceremony of the 1991 Clean and Green Week, the Nature Society was presented with the Green Leaf Award.

This complemented the previous year's award when Mr Hale won under the individual category. This was an award given to organisations and individuals who had made outstanding contributions to environmental protection and preservation.

Volunteers' efforts helped save Sungei Buloh
Straits Times Forum 23 Aug 15;

We agree wholeheartedly that Mr Richard Hale played a very important role in the conservation efforts of Sungei Buloh, under the Nature Society team comprising the Bird Group Conservation Committee ("The man behind Sungei Buloh" by Mr Subaraj Rajathurai; last Sunday).

The conservation project was the initiative of the Bird Group, whose chairman at that time was Dr Clive Briffett, after calls were made by some of its members to formulate a conservation proposal for its future survival, in view of what had happened at the Serangoon estuary wetland, which had to make way for urban development.

The Bird Group was not aware of the Sungei Buloh nature area at the time, and it was most fortunate that members were kindly shown the whereabouts of the new bird sanctuary, in the nick of time, by Mr Hale, who was not a member of the group at the time. He had discovered the area around 1986.

The area had been slated for development into an agro-technology park, so bold and decisive action was crucial to save it.

The formulation of the proposal to save Sungei Buloh, which took almost a year, was anchored by the many active birdwatchers of the Bird Group, doing the indispensable ground work of collecting bird information, with the voluntary assistance of ornithologist Chris Hails.

This is indeed remarkable, given that the project was based on the efforts of volunteers, both locals and foreigners, in an area that was new to the birding community and during a period when up-to-date field knowledge of Singapore's birdlife, in terms of its distribution within the national territory, was more or less at a pioneering stage.

The proposal was submitted to the Nature Reserves Board under the umbrella of the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch) in October 1987 and accepted by the Ministry of National Development on April 19, 1988.

Wing Chong

Chairman
Bird Group
Nature Society Singapore

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Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve closed 'due to police operations'; man arrested

The police say a 45-year-old man was arrested for "immigration offences".
Channel NewsAsia 15 Aug 15;

SINGAPORE: The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was closed to the public for a stretch on Saturday morning (Aug 15) due to a police operation. The police said a 45-year-old man was arrested for "immigration offences".

The police told Channel NewsAsia that it was notified at 5.10am when the Coast Guard detected suspicious activities off the waters of Sungei Buloh. "A search was conducted in the area and a 45-year-old man was arrested for immigration offences," they added.

Operations were stood down at 12.15pm and investigations are ongoing, the police said.

The National Parks Board (NParks) posted on Facebook at around 11.30am: "For public safety, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is closed today until further notice due to police operations. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused."

At 12.45pm, NParks said the park was reopened. It said on Facebook: "Thank you for your patience. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is now open to visitors."

- CNA/es

45-year-old arrested for allegedly trying to enter Singapore illegally through Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Jalelah Abu Baker Straits Times 15 Aug 15;

SINGAPORE- A 45-year-old man was arrested on Saturday (Aug 15) for allegedly trying to enter Singapore illegally through Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

The Police Coast Guard detected suspicious activities in the waters off Sungei Buloh just after 5am on Saturday, a police spokesman said. A search resulted in the arrest of the man. His nationality is not known. The operation ended at 12.15pm.

The National Parks Board (NParks) earlier announced through a tweet that the reserve near Kranji will be closed till further notice due to police operations.

In an update about two hours later, it said that Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is open to visitors again.

Man caught for allegedly entering S'pore illegally via Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
AsiaOne 15 Aug 15;

SINGAPORE - The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve had been closed for a period on Saturday morning due to police operations.

According to local reports, a 45-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly trying to enter Singapore illegally through Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

The Police Coast Guard had reportedly detected suspicious activities in the waters off Sungei Buloh slightly after 5am. This resulted in a search, and the subsequent arrest of the man whose nationality is unknown.

Due to this search, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced earlier today, on its social media platforms, that the reserve near Kranji will be closed until further notice.

In a Facebook post, NParks said: "For public safety, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is closed today until further notice due to police operations. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused."

Two hours later at about 12.45pm, NParks updated to say the park was reopened. "Thank you for your patience. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is now open to visitors."

The man was apprehended for "immigration offences", Channel NewsAsia reported. Investigations are ongoing.

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Best of our wild blogs: 15 Aug 15

Singapore Bird Report July 2015
Singapore Bird Group

Peacock Pansy visits Bougainvillea
Bird Ecology Study Group

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How Singapore can charm a new generation of travellers

See Kit Tang CNBC AsiaOne 14 Aug 15;

With its Botanic Gardens declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its spot at the top of Lonely Planet's Best Travel Destination 2015 list, Singapore has tourism sorted, right? Maybe not, say experts, who told CNBC this was a perfect time for the city-state to reinvent itself yet again.

"For Singapore to remain competitive and relevant in the future, the key is to reinvent," Yu Xian Lim, research analyst at Euromonitor, told CNBC by email. "Home to a collage of museums and heritage sites with rich local histories, Singapore can consider carving a niche in cultural tourism, especially after the recent UNESCO win."

Last year Singapore posted its first decline in visitor numbers since 2009, down 3 per cent on-year to 15.1 million, due mainly to a fall in Chinese holidaymakers to the region amid political unrest in Thailand, the Malaysia Airlines' twin tragedies and tighter regulations on tour packages in the mainland.

The downtrend has continued this year despite the Lonely Planet accolade, with the number of tourists decreasing 4.1 per cent through May.

To give the sector a boost, the Singapore Tourism Board launched a 20 million Singapore dollar-campaign in June in conjunction with the nation's Golden Jubilee celebrations this year. However, Ngee Ann Polytechnic's senior tourism lecturer Michael Chiam said such "piggyback strategies" may not be enough to rejuvenate the industry from a long-term perspective.
And while World Heritage status for the 156-year-old Botanic Gardens is expected boost visitor numbers to the 74-hectare park by as much as 20 per cent, according to National Parks Board, industry watchers who spoke to CNBC were less bullish about the garden's boost on overall tourist arrivals.

Instead, experts say Singapore, best known for its shopping and gastronomic opportunities, as well as an array of man-made marvels such as Marina Bay Sands, needs to cater to the rise of so-called free and independent tourists (FITS) who want alternative ways to explore a country.

"While many tourists came on tour groups in the past, we have more FITs nowadays who plan their own itinerary, like to do what the locals do and are looking for new, authentic experiences," Chiam said. "In recent years, our focus has been on adding new attractions and new events like the Singapore Grand Prix, it may be a good idea to start promoting our own culture and heritage."

According to analysts, Singapore offers a colorful picture of contrasting elements - from a modern metropolis to heritage quarters and pockets of greenery - in one compact location.

"Nobody travels to another country to see more of their own," Kevin Cheong, chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions, told CNBC.

"They want to experience the local culture and savour the flavours of the land … Singapore has gone through the various stages of tourism development. First, it was 'me too' where I have what you have; second, it was 'me only' where only I have it and finally, I believe we are entering the phase of 'this is me', having the unique Singapore way of life as our tourism positioning."

And even as Singapore celebrates its 50 years of independence, experts say the island should not forget that its history and heritage started well before 1965, pointing out that local war-remembrance sites such as the Kranji War Memorial fare well in comparison to better-known overseas sites.

According to local tour operator Star Holiday Mart, there is definitely rising demand for "less trendy" experiences that are quintessentially Singapore.

"Some of our tours have moved into the heartlands like Toa Payoh … which is an old estate and where the HDB Hub is located. Apart from showing them development plans of our housing estates, tourists can experience the Singaporean life away from glamorous shopping malls and skyscrapers," managing director Dominic Ong said.

Travellers have also put up special requests to visit Pulau Ubin - Singapore's second-largest offshore island, with a charm lies in its quiet rural surroundings with kampung houses and forest paths - and the eastern suburb of Katong, where quaint shophouses offer a glimpse into the Peranakan culture, Ong noted.

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Indonesia nabs ship believed to carry slave-caught fish

MARGIE MASON Associated Press Yahoo News 14 Aug 15;

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A massive refrigerated cargo ship believed to be loaded with slave-caught fish was seized by Indonesia's navy and brought to shore Thursday, after The Associated Press informed authorities it had entered the country's waters.

The Thai-owned Silver Sea 2 was located late Wednesday and escorted about 80 miles (130 kilometers) to a naval base in Sabang on the Indonesian archipelago's northwestern tip, said Col. Sujatmiko, the local naval chief.

The AP used a satellite beacon signal to trace its path from Papua New Guinea waters, where it was also being sought, into neighboring Indonesia. The navy then spent a week trying to catch it. The ship was close to leaving Indonesian waters by the time it was finally seized.

"I'm so overwhelmed with happiness," said Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, adding it was difficult to find because the boat's signal had a delay. "It was almost impossible, but we did it."

The Silver Sea 2 is the same 2,285-ton vessel captured in a high-resolution satellite photo last month in Papua New Guinea showing its hold open and two fishing trawlers tethered to each side, loading fish. Analysts identified the smaller trawlers as among those that fled the remote Indonesian island village of Benjina earlier this year, crewed by enslaved men from poor Southeast Asian countries who are routinely beaten and forced to work nearly nonstop with little or no pay.

An AP investigation revealed their catch reached the supply chains of major U.S. food sellers, such as Wal-Mart, Sysco and Kroger, and American pet food companies, including Fancy Feast, Meow Mix and Iams. The businesses have all said they strongly condemn labor abuse and vowed to take steps to prevent it.

Indonesia freed hundreds of men earlier this year after the AP exposed they were trapped — including some locked in a cage — on Benjina. But 34 boats loaded with slaves escaped before authorities arrived. They remain missing. Seven arrests have been made in Indonesia and two in Thailand related to the case.

Panya Luangsomboon, owner of Silver Sea Reefer Co., which owns several refrigerated cargo ships in Thailand, said Friday that the company has done nothing illegal and has asked Thai officials for help in getting the Silver Sea 2 back.

"We have received numerous calls from Thai agencies ... asking about this and basically we said we have never done anything like it," company manager Venus Pornpasert said Thursday of allegations of human trafficking and illegal fishing. Venus added that all of the ships' crews are Thai nationals and certified by the International Maritime Organization.

However, enslaved workers who recently returned home from Papua New Guinea to Myanmar said they had regularly loaded fish onto Silver Sea cargo ships, which ferried the catch back to Thailand. Burmese slaves rescued from Benjina, among hundreds interviewed by the AP in person or in writing, also said they had been trafficked in Thailand and brought to fish in Indonesia aboard the Silver Sea 2. And late last year, AP journalists saw slave-caught fish in Benjina being loaded onto another reefer owned by Silver Sea.

The Indonesian navy has so far declined to comment on the crew found aboard the captured vessel.

Pudjiastuti, who put a moratorium on all foreign boats last year to crack down on rampant poaching, said the Silver Sea 2 captain will be questioned, and an investigation will be launched into suspected human trafficking, transport of illegally caught fish and transshipment, which involves offloading fish at sea. It allows fishermen to work for months without returning to port, making it easier for their captains to exploit them.

"Indonesia's action here is significant as it demonstrates a commitment to enforcing the actions of vessels within their waters, regardless of whether they are fishing illegally or trafficking labor," said Tobias Aguirre, executive director of California-based nonprofit Fishwise, which advocates for sustainable, slave-free seafood.

Authorities in Papua New Guinea had also been searching for the boat. They instead seized another Thai-owned fish cargo ship, the Blissful Reefer, two weeks ago. Two trafficked Burmese and six Cambodians were found on board.

Indonesian police also are investigating trafficking claims involving 45 Burmese fishermen who were rescued from a Jakarta hotel last week. Arie Dharmanto, who heads the anti-human trafficking unit of the National Police, said the men had fake documents identifying themselves as Thai, and that officials from two Indonesian companies have been questioned about their role.

Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California, and Nattasuda Anusonadisai in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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