Susi Pudjiastuti Hopes Drownings of Illegal Fishing Boats Persist
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14 October 2019 16:19 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nearing her last days in office, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti called on the ministry to preserve its program of legally-drowning illegal foreign fishing boats operating over Indonesian waters.
“[Preserve] all of our policies, for the policies we practiced throughout the years were good,” Susi said at her office on Monday.
She explained that if the captured illegal fishing boats ended up being auctioned, it would only give more work for the ministry as the same fishing boats were often seen operating again in Indonesian waters.
“Those illegal boats have been captured, auctioned, and were eventually bought by their owners again. And they repeat their crimes. It’s better to just drown them. Handing penalties will not solve the issue,” the Minister reminded.
As a minister, Susi Pudjiastuti has drowned a total of 550 illegal fishing boats. Prior to her leadership at the ministry, she claimed there were more than 10 thousand illegal fishing boats operating in Indonesian waters.
HENDARTYO HANGGI
