Indonesia sinks 34 foreign fishing boats for illegal fishing
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Indonesiasinking fishing boats illegally fishing in this country's waters. (Source: zerohedge.com) |
On August 18, Indonesia sank 34 foreign vessels previously detained for illegal fishing in its waters, including vessels from Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam. Four Indonesian vessels were also sunk this time for fishing without a valid license.
The sinking of the above fishing vessels was mainly carried out at three naval bases: Tarempa (Batam province), Rinai (Riau Islands province) and Tarakan (North Kalimantan province).
Five of the ships were destroyed with explosives, the others were sunk.
An Indonesian government official said the government took this tough measure to continue to prevent illegal fishing, manage and protect marine resources of the world's largest archipelago.
Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said: "Many foreign fishing boats have been sunk in recent months. We want people to realize that the sea is the future of the country."
The practice of sinking foreign fishing vessels that violate national waters has been applied by Indonesia since late 2014, when President Joko Widodo took office and declared tough handling of fishing vessels that violate the country's waters.
He also launched a campaign to protect marine resources and the domestic fishing industry, which is said to suffer billions of dollars in losses each year due to illegal fishing./.