Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang | Mon, 03/30/2009 12:58 PM
Vice President Jusuf Kalla has promised to take action in support of traditional Indonesian fishermen who are being caught by Australian maritime authorities in areas deemed "Indonesia's own marine territory".
The pledge was made Sunday during a Golkar Party meeting in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, where Kalla spoke as the chairman of Indonesia's largest party.
The Vice President voiced his sentiments while responding to a complaint from a local fisherman named Hamzah, who attended the gathering.
Hamzah claimed he and other local fisherman were often caught in Indonesian waters in the Timor Sea by Australian sea patrols.
"We were caught in Indonesia's sea, not Australia's, nor that of Pasir Island," he said, referring to an island rich with sea cucumbers and shrimps often mistakenly labeled Indonesian territory by many traditional fishermen.
According to a recent maritime boundary agreement signed between Indonesia and Australia, Pasir Island is an Australian territory.
Lens Haning, the regent of Rote Ndao in Kupang, confirmed that the areas in which local traditional fishermen were often being caught by patrolling Australian vessels was in fact Indonesian territory.
"If there are other *local* fishermen being caught in Indonesia's own marine zones, please contact me. I will take action against it," Kalla told the gathering.
During the past five years, as many as 1,000 local Indonesian fishermen have been caught by Australian sea patrols in the Timor Sea.
When fishermen are caught, their vessels are destroyed and they are usually detained for around one to three months before being deported back to Indonesia.
Indonesia and Australia recently agreed to conduct joint sea patrols around border areas to tackle illegal poaching. The two countries, however, have not yet reached an agreement on "traditional fishing", which is widely practiced in Indonesia but not recognized in Australia.
Both countries are scheduled to discuss this issue specifically at a meeting in Surabaya, East Java, in May.
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