TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Minister for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Susi Pudjiastuti, will be sinking 60 trawlers that have been found to be fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. To sink the ships, the Minister has opted to breech the hull of the ships, which will be done across several areas across Indonesia.
"I am not appealing to the idea of territorial sovereignty - I am talking about how these foreign vessels are breaching existing regulations relating to the preservation and right to fish within Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)," said Susi in Indonesian Navy Military Command Headquarters in The waters of Ranai in Natuna, Riau Islands Province on Wednesday, August 17, 2016.
The Ministry's Special Taskforce will be given the task of sinking these ships in eight designated locations - namely Batam, Parempa, Ranai Natuna, Morotai, Sorong, Maluku, and Tarakan in Northern Kalimantan. Among the ships that will be subjected to the treatment are two trawlers registered in Indonesia, while 58 others are registered in ship registries from around the region.
"The majority if the busts were carried out in Natuna, as the Islands are located in Indonesia's extreme periphery that directly borders Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines EEZ," continued Susi.
It must also be noted that Indonesia's EEZ goes as deep as 200 nautical miles into the heavily disputed South China Sea.
To date, the Indonesian government gas sunk 236 trawlers that have been found to be illegally operating within Indonesian territories - one of which is a Viking ship registered bearing multiple identification flags.
Susi also plans to erect a monument to commemorate the Indonesian's battle against illegal fishing in Pangandaran, West Java - where six seized trawlers will be taken and immortalised as a symbol of Indonesia's ongoing battle against illegal fishing. "This monument will be erected with the help of the United States and Norwegian government," Susi concluded.
PUTRI ADITYOWATI
