TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Ministry’s trademark assertive policy of detonating captured illegal fishing boats will likely be sidelined under the leadership of the new minister Edhy Prabowo. He maintains that detonating and sinking captured boats will not be his main priority.

He asserts that Indonesia is a lawful nation and does not intend to use the destruction of illegal fishing boats fleet remain as a mere jargon.

“However, if we someday do capture [illegal fishing boats] that run from authorities, we will surely sink them. I am not afraid to sink illegal fishing boats,” said Edhy in Makassar on Sunday, December 1.

Edhy assured people that the ministry continues to be active in securing the vast Indonesian ocean from foreign illegal fishing activities and give proof of the recent Malaysian-flag fishing boat that had just been captured and is now in Aceh.

The illegal fishing boat flying a foreign flag will then be taken to official court procedures; “We will also investigate the case. The worry of letting the boat go and then gets bought again [by the same party] will not happen, I guarantee that.”

Prior to the arrest of Malaysian fishing boat, the fisheries ministry had also made an arrest on a fishing boat with a Philippines flag that is suspected to have illegally fished in the North Sulawesi waters of Bitung.

“We do hope what has happened does not break the good relations between nations. I am sure other countries also practice the same thing,” said Edhy Prabowo, “We put forth the law and avert from being haphazardly.”

DIDIT HARIYADI (MAKASSAR) | CAESAR AKBAR