Fishery Ministry: Indonesia Rejects Slavery in Maritime Sector

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia strongly rejects any kind of slavery in the form of exploitation of workers in the maritime and fishery sector as it may be categorized as a crime against humanity, an official of fishery ministry has said.

"The Indonesian ministry of fishery and marine resources rejects slavery in the fishery industry," the director general of processing and marketing of fishery products, Saut Hutagalung, said on Friday as quoted by Antara News.

He made the statement in connection with a recent investigative report from the Associated Press about slavery of crew carried out in Thai ships operated by a company located in Benjina, Maluku province.

The ships conduct fishing in the Indonesian territory for a company in Thailand, he said but he feared the case would hurt Indonesia's reputation.

Such a practice was intolerable as it could be categorized as a crime against humanity and so it clearly hurts the country, the director general said.

"Slavery is not only about economy but also about human dignity. Although it is profitable in economic terms it denies human status," he said.

Based on AP reports fish caught by the ships were brought to Thailand to meet raw materials needs of industries, he said.

The Indonesian ministry of fishery and marine resources rejected the practice of slavery, he said.

"With regard to the issue the Indonesian government would stand firmly against it. The ships reported by AP are not Indonesian ships," he said.

The move by his office to issue a ministerial regulation number 56/2014 to stop temporarily (a moratorium) the fishing business in the Indonesian territory had proven correct and effective, he said.

Indonesia would remain firm in eradicating IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing practices or poaching of fish.

ANTARA NEWS