Indonesia seizes Malaysian boat for illegal fishing

By Hayati Nupus

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - Indonesia seized a Malaysian fishing boat in Malacca Strait, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry said on Wednesday.

Agus Suherman, the acting director general of Marine and Fisheries Resources department, said that the PKFA 7751 vessel was seized along with four crew members of Myanmar nationality on Tuesday.

"The seizure was made on suspicion of illegal fishing," Suherman said in a statement.

He said that the vessel was nabbed when crew members were fishing without permission in Indonesian territorial waters, around one nautical mile from the border.

They used legally prohibited trawl nets, the official said.

Malacca Strait is the main shipping channel between the Indian and the Pacific oceans, making it a key shipping lane in the world.

Suherman said that after the examination of documents upon the seizure, it was found out that the boat belonged to Malaysia “because it didn’t fly any flag”.

The vessel and its crew have been shifted to marine and fisheries resources control station in the Batam on Riau province for further legal process.

Under Indonesian law, a person can be detained for six years with a penalty as well for illegal fishing in the country’s maritime area.

The Indonesian Maritime Ministry revealed that the government seized 34 foreign vessels -- 15 from Vietnam, 16 from Malaysia and three from Philippines -- for illegal fishing in the January-June period.