7 M’sian fishing ships seized by Indonesian authorities

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JAKARTA: Seven ships bearing Malaysian flags have been seized by the Indonesian maritime authority for fishing illegally via the use of trawls in the Melaka Strait.

A local English newspaper, Jakarta Post reported the ships and the Indonesian crew were detained yesterday to facilitate investigations.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s maritime resources supervisory division head, Akhmadon has been quoted as saying the ships belonged to Malaysian businessmen but were operated by Indonesian migrant workers.

The captain of one of the ships, Indra, 34, from Tanjung Balai Asahan, North Sumatra, said he worked for a fishing company in Perak, Malaysia, for two years.

“There are not many fishing companies in Asahan so I moved to Malaysia. I earned more in Malaysia,” he said.

The Indonesian Government has torched and sunk hundreds of illegal foreign fishing boats in its bid to stop poaching in the country’s waters. – Bernama