Indonesian Lawmaker’s Death in Shipwreck Raises Questions

Jakarta globe, Anita Rachman | August 08, 2010

Jakarta. House Commission III overseeing legal affairs plans to discuss lawmaker safety following a maritime mishap that left a legislator and the wife of another dead in North Sulawesi over the weekend.

“We will seriously discuss the issue that state officials, including members of the House, should also get protection at sea,” Achmad Dimyati, a lawmaker from the United Development Party (PPP), said on Sunday.

Dimyati himself had been on board the boat that overturned in Manado. Some 20 lawmakers, some with their families, were aboard.

Setia Permana, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and Wahyu Nurani, wife of Democratic lawmaker Sutjipto, drowned in the accident.

Dimyati said there should be more rigid standards at sea, “not only for state officials, but for all the people. And not only in North Sulawesi, but also across the archipelago.”

He said the doomed ship was not seaworthy, and didn’t receive adequate rescue assistance.

“The boat was not in proper condition,” he said.

“We are sorry that the captain is being held by the police, but there should be someone held responsible for this, so that this same kind of thing won’t happen in the future.”

North Sulawesi Police spokesman Benny Bella told the Jakarta Globe by telephone that the captain, Alex Lahengko, 34, was being detained by the police.

“We aren’t detaining people just because the victims were lawmakers or their families, this is the normal treatment,” he said.

However, Commission III member Nudirman Munir, who was also on the boat when it capsized, said that it was unfair to blame the incident on the captain.

He said the local government should be held responsible because it did not strictly apply and check the safety standards of all boats in the area.

“The municipality of Manado should be held responsible for this,” he said. “The captain is just a regular worker. [The accident happened at] a recreational area. Many people, including foreign tourists, come there. How come they don’t have first aid or lifeguards on the beach?”

Nudirman said that the commission would ask local governments to do a better job of managing their territorial waters.

“Not only in Manado, but in all places, in Maluku and Irian Jaya [Papua], there should be water police patrols and beach guards.

“The police should add to their teams covering the water,” the lawmaker said, adding that local governments should also prohibit people from operating old boats.

Nudirman also took the opportunity to say that lawmakers were not given enough money on working visits to far-off regions. “Rupiah 15 million ($1,700) for a working visit, including the flight and the transportation and the protocols, that’s not enough,” he said.

Eva Kusuma Sundari, from the PDI-P, said that she also got about Rp 15 million for the three- day working visit.

She said the sailing trip had been optional, and several lawmakers, including Ruhut Sitompul, from the Democratic Party, skipped it.

“It was a tragedy,” she said. “If there was really a mistake, it was with the operational standards.

“Without a standardized operational system, people will become victims,” she said.

“Don’t take notice just because the victims were lawmakers. The same treatment should be given to everyone,” she said.

Indonesia plans to establish independent coast guard soon

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 06/25/2010 5:44 PM

Former coordinating minister for the economy Dorojatun Kuntjoro Jakti said Friday that Indonesian needs a coast guard independent of the military to ensure that its current military resources are used for defense.

"The Navy’s war ships should be used for defense activities, not to capture fishermen," said Dorojatun said after a discussion at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta.

He continued that currently, Indonesia was still using naval war ships to safeguard its waters, including catching foreign or domestic fishermen operating without permits.

"In the United States, the coast guard is separate from the armed forces," he added.

The Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Fadel Muhammad, said that the government was planning to establish an independent coast guard in the near future.

"We have held two meetings to discuss the possibility of establishing the body, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has appointed the coordinating political, law and security affairs minister to lead the execution of the plan," he told reporters after the discussion. (rdf)

SAR stops searching for Naval Patrol boat`s wreck

Antara News, Thursday, May 27, 2010 03:48 WIB

Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - Head of the Tanjungpinang Search and Rescue (SAR) squad Bambang Subagyo said SAR has stopped its search for the wreck of a naval patrol boat along which went down and three passengers were missing in Lingai waters.

"Today we have stopped our search for the naval patrol boat`s wreck and the three missing passengers in Lingai waters," Bambang said here Wednesday night.

The naval patrol boat caught fire and sank in Lingai waters, Anambas islands, on Thursday at 9.30 am local time. It had 22 passengers mostly family welfare personnel on their way to a working visit to Jemaja island from Tarempa.

Nineteen survived but sustaining burns and broken bones, and are still undergoing intensive treatment at a local hospital.

Bambang said that under the operational standard of the National SAR team, the search for a ship wreck and its victims is carried out for seven days.

The 62 to 65 deep waters he said were also a problem to the divers in search for the wreck and missing passengers.

Malaysia-Bound Timber Seized in Malacca Strait

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 29 April, 2010 | 19:00 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Patrol unit of the provincial customs office in Sumatra sezied about 2,500 logs of timber in the Malacca Strait from a vessel heading to Malaysia early on Thursday (29/4).

A message sent by the Public Communication Chief of the Customs and Excise Directorate in Jakarta Evi Suhartantyo the patrol unit of Tanjung Balai Karimun customs office, North Sumatra, intercepted a nameless and flagless vessel at about 2 am today in Tanjung Sempayan.

The vessel was captained by a Riau resident and was traveling from Batu Pahat, Malaysia. Evi suspected the logs were cut down illegally in Riau Province, no report on the type of the timber.

NALIA RIFIKA

Neighboring`s poachers nabbed in Indonesian Waters

Antara News, by Eliswan Azly, Sunday, April 25, 2010 00:39 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Illegal fishing in Indonesian waters is no longer an open secret, as this largest archepelagic country with its vast territorial waters has been the target of foreign poachers.

Recently, some poachers from neighboring countries like the Philippines and Vietnam were captured by Indonesian naval patrol boats during routine operations.

Indonesian naval patrol boat KRI Kakap-811 was reported to have caught four Filipino boats poaching in Sulawesi waters this week, Eastern Fleet`s spokesman Lt.Col.Toni Saiful said in Surabaya on Friday.

The fishing boats and their crew had been brought to the Nunukan naval base in East Kalimantan for investigation. The captured boats were identified as FB-Conie 5, FB-Conie 4 FB-Conie 10, and FB-Philcon 3, he said.

"The boats did not have permits for fishing in the Indonesian economic zone. Their skippers and crew members are all Filipinos," he said.

When questioned, they confessed their offense. They sailed from General Santos in the Philippines for fishing in Indonesia, he said.

In the meantime, ten boats manned by Vietnamese fishermen had reportedly been seized by a patrol boat of the ministry of marine affairs and fisheries for illegally fishing in Indonesia`s Exclusive Economic Zone in Natuna waters.

Bambang Nugroho, the head of port of control and monitoring of fishery and marine resources (P2SDKP) said on Friday nine of the boats and their skippers were now held at the port while one had been sent home carrying around 61 crew members of all the boats.

Only the skippers would be legally processed because based upon experience, the crew could not be sued. "At the most, they would be charged with violating the immigration law and then deported," he said.

The nine boats arrived at the P2SDKP port at 3 pm under escort of Hiu Macan 001, a patrol boat of the ministry of marine affairs and fisheries.

Bambang further said the Vietnamese fishermen did not resist arrest and everything therefore went smoothly. "We are still trying to find out about the volume of their catch," he said.

Hiu Macan 001 on Sunday (April 11) seized 10 foreign boats belonging to Vietnamese fishermen for poaching in Natuna waters.

He said nine of the boats were now being legally processed while their 21 tons catch seized as evidence had been destroyed because they contained formaldehyde.

Bambang said Natuna, Arafura and the northern parts of the North Sulawesi waters are foreign fishermen`s favorite places for poaching.

Bambang appealed to the people not to buy the catch of Thai or Vietnamese fishermen not only because they had been stolen from Indonesia but also contains formaldehyde which is detrimental to human health.

According to the FAO, Thailand and Vietnam are the world`s biggest fish producers although they have relatively small territorial waters.

The waters in West Kalimantan which are part of Zone III along with Natuna, Karimata and South China Sea are rich with marine resources reaching one million tons a year.

The fish species in these waters include mackerel, tuna and squids.

In 2007 the ministry sent out 21 of its patrol boats and seized 185 foreign boats, and in 2008 its 23 patrol boats caught red-handed 242 foreign poachers, and in 2009 arrested 180 in Indonesian territorial waters.

The potential loss saved from 180 boats was worth around Rp720 billion based upon the assumption of one motor boat incurring a loss of Rp4 billion a year

Based on the fact that a great number fishing boats had been captured, Indonesia is vulnerable to poaching by foreign trawlers.

From January to March 2010, for instance, the Tanjungpinang immigration had deported a dozen foreign fishermen from Riau Islands, including 15 Thais, 17 Vietnamese, and two Malaysians, for poaching in the waters of Natuna Islands.

Lots of foreign fishermen on their trawlers have been poaching in Indonesian waters for decades.

As a result, Indonesia suffers a loss of at least US$ 2.136 million a year.

Under Indonesian fishery Law No. 31/2004 on fisheries, the ministry`s patrol guards are authorized to carry guns. But in particular, the law is designed to accommodate the needs and challenges of developing the fishing industry and prevent, deter and eliminate illegal fishing.

The Indonesian government has been criticized for being "too lenient" in releasing and allowing Filipino fishermen to repatriate and reunite with their families. They would usually give one or two excuses, humanitarian considerations or lack of funds to provide basic needs and shelter.

Unfortunately, until now Indonesia still has not special committee to deal with illegal fishing cases. The government tends to rely on a sectoral approach in handling such cases. Coordination between related government agencies is weak and would not be applied on a regular basis. A fisheries court has not been established either.

Indonesia and the Philippines have established a Joint Commission on bilateral cooperation. The two countries have also signed an MOU on Marine and Fisheries Cooperation in General Santos, the Philippines, on Feb. 23, 2006. However, the two countries have not yet established bilateral arrangements to table particular issues of fishermen.

Besides, hundreds of confiscated foreign-flagged fishing vessels are now crowding dozens of seaports across Indonesia.

They are corroding, if not sinking and already turned to wrecks, while waiting for legal processing, which could take years. But no specific budget has been allocated for the maintenance of these seized boats.

Indonesia, which suffered a loss of Rp 30 trillion a year to poaching, is desperate to beef up its fishing patrol fleet, which currently consists of only 21 vessels. Securing the fishing boats could at least reduce the loss.

RI warship captures four poaching Filipino boats

Antara News, Saturday, April 24, 2010 13:41 WIB

Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesian naval patrol boat KRI Kakap-811 caught four Filipino fishing boats poaching in Sulawesi waters this week, a navy officer said.

The fishing boats and their crew had been brought to the Nunukan naval base in East Kalimantan for investigation, the Eastern Fleet`s spokesman, Lt.Col.Toni Saiful said here Friday.

The captured boats were identified as FB-Conie 5, FB-Conie 4 FB-Conie 10, and FB-Philcon 3, he said.

"The boats did not have permits for fishing in the Indonesian economic zone. Their skippers and crew members are all Filipinos," he said.

When questioned, they confessed their offense. They sailed from General Santos in the Philippines for fishing operations in Indonesia, he said. Indonesia is vulnerable to illegal fishing activities of foreign trawlers.

From January to March 2010, for instance, the Tanjungpinang immigration had deported a dozen foreign fishermen from Riau Islands, including 15 Thais, 17 Vietnamese, and two Malaysians, for poaching in the waters of Natuna Islands.

Lots of foreign fishermen on their trawlers have been poaching in Indonesian waters for decades.As a result, Indonesia suffers a loss of at least US$ 2.136 million a year.

Ten Vietnamese fishing boats caught poaching in RI waters

Antara News, Friday, April 23, 2010 20:53 WIB

Pontianak (ANTARA News) - Ten boats manned by Vietnamese fishermen have been seized for illegally fishing in Indonesia`s Exclusive Economic Zone in Natuna waters.

The head of the port of control and monitoring of fishery and marine resources (P2SDKP) here, Bambang Nugroho, said here on Friday nine of the boats and their skippers were now held at the port while one had been sent home carrying around 61 crew of all the boats.

Bambang said that only the skippers would be legally processed because based upon experience the crew could not be legally processed. "They will maximally be charged with violating the immigration law and deported," he said.

The nine boats arrived at the P2SDKP port at 3pm, escorted by Hiu Macan 001, a patrol boat of the ministry of fisheries and marine resources.

Bambang said the Vietnamese fishermen did not defy and therefore the process of the seizure went smoothly. "We have not determined the amount of their catch," he said.

Hiu Macan 001 on Sunday (April 11) seized 10 foreign boats belonging to Vietnamese fishermen illegally fishing in Natuna waters.

He said nine of the boats were now being legally processed while the catch as the evidence weighing around 21 tons evidence had been destroyed because they contained formaldehyde.

Bambang said Natuna, Arafura and norther part of North Sulawesi waters are foreign fishermen`s favorite places for illegal fishing.

Bambang appealed to the people not to buy the catch of Thai or Vietnamese fishermen not only because it is poached from Indonesia and also contains formaldehyde.

According to the FAO, Thailand and Vietnam are the world`s biggest fish producers although they have only tiny waters.

The waters in West Kalimantan which are part of Zone III along with Natuna, Karimata and South China Sea are rich with potential catch reaching one million ton a year.

The fish species in the waters include mackerel, tuna and squid.

In 2007 the ministry of fisheries and marine resources deployed 21 patrol boats and was able to seize 185 foreign boats and in 2008 using 23 patrol boats seized 242 and in 2009 seized 180 foreign boats illegally fishing in the country`s waters.

The potential loss saved from 180 boats was worth around Rp720 billion based upon an assumption of one motor boat incurring a loss of Rp4 billion a year.

Thai fishermen enter RI aboard Indonesian boats

Antara News, Thursday, April 22, 2010 02:15 WIB

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - Fifty-three fishermen from Thailand have entered Indonesian waters illegally boarding Indonesian-flagged fishing boats.

"We are now holding them at the IX Main Naval Base in Ambon," Indonesian Eastern Fleet Command spokesman Lt Col Toni Syaiful said here on Wednesday.

Some of the Thai fishermen were caught when navy ship Multatuli-561, led by Lt Col Sufenri, was conducting sea security patrol in the waters near Ambon.

The navy ship when inspecting fishing boat KM Samudra Jaya during the patrol discovered 27 of 31 crew on it were Thai. At the time the boat weighing 497 gross tons were carrying 21,000 bales of fish of various species.

The navy ship meanwhile caught 26 other Thai fishermen aboard KM Maribu-8 carrying 70 tons of fish of various species.

"The two fishing boats were seized while passing from the fishing ground to Ambon," he said.

He said the fishing boats violated the rules on foreign employment and for having incomplete documents.

Meanwhile another navy ship KRI Wiratno-879 led by Major Bambang Darmawan had also seized fishing boat KM Sanjaya-61 in Sawu island waters for carrying no fishing license and proper documents.

The Indonesian-flagged ship with 12 crew on board and Kung Toni as its skipper carried one ton of fish of various kinds.

Illegal fishing still remains in S. Sulawesi waters

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, South Sulawesi | Sun, 04/18/2010 7:16 PM

Illegal fishing activities using explosives remain occurred in the waters of Kapoposang Island in Pangkajene dan Kepulauan [Pangkep], South Sulawesi. The area is a preserved national marine park, a navy official says.Makassar Navy seabase commander Bambang Wahyudin said Sunday that his personnel often heard blasts in the waters. “Sometime we could catch them [illegal fishers], but in another time we fail as they manage to run away,” he added.Bambang said that his team is pursuing those who distribute raw material and make the bombs.

Illegal fishing activities using explosives remain occurred in the waters of Kapoposang Island in Pangkajene dan Kepulauan [Pangkep], South Sulawesi. The area is a preserved national marine park, a navy official says.

Makassar Navy seabase commander Bambang Wahyudin said Sunday that his personnel often heard blasts in the waters. “Sometime we could catch them [illegal fishers], but in another time we fail as they manage to run away,” he added.

Bambang said that his team is pursuing those who distribute raw material and make the bombs.

37 illegal immigrants captured in Jakarta Bay

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 04/06/2010 4:25 PM

Thirty-seven male Afghan nationals were captured by patrolling officers from Jakarta Police's water police division in waters off Bidadari Island in Jakarta Bay early Tuesday and admitted they were heading to Australia to look for political asylum.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said the officers found the illegal immigrants floating in two fishing boats crewed by two Indonesian nationals identified as Ending and Ardun.

"We are still questioning them to find out how they entered Indonesian waters and which route they used," Boy said, adding that the illegal immigrants now came under the division’s jurisdiction.

Boy said the police were now coordinating with UNHCR representatives in Jakarta to decide the future of the asylum seekers.

"But it is almost certain they will be deported from Indonesia," he said.

Five Indonesians Drown Near Malaysia

Jakarta Globe, March 31, 2010

Kuala Lumpur. Police say five Indonesians, including three children, have drowned and 17 others were rescued after their overloaded speedboat sank off Malaysia.

Local police chief Ibrahim Chin says the boat coming from Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province sank Tuesday near Tawau island in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah.

Ibrahim says a police sea patrol noticed the accident, believed to have been caused when the boat struck a piece of wood.

Three children are among the five who drowned. Ibrahim says the 18-feet-long (5.5-meter-long) boat had a capacity of 12 people.

He said Wednesday that police are investigating whether any passengers had valid travel documents.

Many Indonesians come to neighboring Malaysia illegally by boat to look for work. Dozens died last year in boat sinkings.

Associated Press

Maritime Minister – Indonesian Navy Agree to Watch for Fish Thefts

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 25 March, 2010 | 13:29 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Maritime and Fishery Minister Fadel Muhammad and Indonesian Navy chief of Staff Admiral Agus Suhartono have signed an MoU on maritime and fishery resources development.

“The scope of the agreement includes monitoring, controlling, and surveillance (MCS) system development," Fadel said in his office yesterday.

Fadel explained that the Maritime and Fishery Ministry and the Indonesian Navy will carry out patrols together.

“The patrols are intended to penalize fish thefts and enforcing the law in national jurisdiction waters,” he said.

The supervision has been increased because fishery resources are often stolen by other countries.

Both parties also intensified collaboration in the education sector as well as human resource development.

EKA UTAMI APRILIA

Customs seizes boat carrying explosive materials

Antara News, Wednesday, March 17, 2010 20:28 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Tanjung Balai Karimun Customs patrol has seized a boat carrying 60 tons of ammonium nitrate and 2000 bags of used clothes from Malaysia in the South China Sea.

The boat was seized early Tuesday morning with a total loss on the state estimated at Rp3 trillion, the office`s spokesperson , Evy Suhartantyo, said here on Wednesday.

"The immaterial loss is related to security namely the discovery of the explosive material while the economic loss is connected with the discovery of the used clothes," he said.

It all happened when customs patrol boat BC 3002 caught KLM Pratama Jaya carrying more than 2,400 25-kg bags of the explosive material and 500 bags of used clothes in the South China Sea.

The Indonesian-flagged ship with 14 crew on board and Syukur as its skipper was traveling to Ambon and Kendari when it was seized.

Customs boat BC 6003 meanwhile seized KLM Intan Sari I carrying more than 1,500 used clothes in the Natuna Sea.

The boat also raised an Indonesian flag with 10 crew on board and Hamid as its skipper.

"We cannot as yet be able to tell details about them as they are still being investigated," the regional head of the special customs office of Kepulauan Riau, Nasar Salim, said.

He said his men had seized the boats believably because they did not have customs documents.

RI, M`sia agree to minimize sea border violations

Antara News, Wednesday, February 24, 2010 23:44 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian and Malaysian navies have agreed to minimize mutual violations of their sea boundaries, especially in Sulawesi waters.

"We have agreed and understand the rules that have been made by the two parties with regard to procedures for conducting patrols in the two countries` sea borders," Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Agus Suharto said here on Wednesday.

When asked by ANTARA News regarding the result of his courtesy call on Malaysian Navy Chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jafar last week he said the two parties had agreed to conduct patrol in their respective sea borders.

"So in case a sea border dispute occurs including in the Sulawesi waters we will refer it to the government to settle. We, the two countries` navies, will safeguard and patrol in our own regions in line with the standing procedures already agreed," Agus said.

Until now the Indonesian embassy has facilitated 13 rounds of talks on the Indonesia-Malaysia maritime border since 2005 with regard to delimiting four segments of the maritime border namely in Sulawesi waters, the Malacca Strait, the South China sea and the Singapore Strait.

In the Malacca Strait Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have conducted patrol cooperation under the Malsindo (Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) program and a joint Eye in the Sky air patrol.

Indonesia and Malaysia however have not reached an agreement regarding the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) border line in the northern part of the Malacca Strait and in the South China sea.

In the Sulawesi waters the two countries also have not yet agreed with regard to continental shelf, territorial and EEZ borders.

Foreign fishing activity threatening Papua`s marine life

Antara News, by Eliswan Azly, Monday, February 22, 2010 20:25 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The operations of many foreign fishermen in Papua waters have become a serious problem to Indonesia as they increasingly use equipment that damage the province`s coral reefs and other biota.

Aria Aditya Setiawan, a political and international relations observer, said here recently illegal fishing using trawls often occurred in waters just a few hundred meters off the Papua coastline.

The illegal fishing`s impact on the environment was posing a problem to Indonesia`s easternmost province. It was not only causing economic damage but also had a negative impact on the environment of the region because of the use of explosives, he said.

Aria who is head of the International Relations Department of the Jayapura Technology and Science University (USTJ) said the use of explosives in fishing had become popular because potassium was easy to get both legally and illegally.

Commonly, according to him, foreign boats which are often illegally fishing in Papua`s waters came from the Philippines, Thailand and China.

"There were also Indonesian ships cooperating with the foreigners so they could get bigger profits from Papua`s marine resources," he said.

He said activities of foreign fishermen in Papua waters produced better results than those of Papua fishermen themselves because the former used high technology.

Meanwhile, Papuan fishermen are still relying on traditional fish traps.

Aria said, until 2008, security officers had inspected 39 foreign ships engaged in illegal fishing in Papua`s waters.

"Illegal fishing still poses a problem and gives a serious impact. Therefore the government including the security forces and the people should work together in dealing with the problem," he said.

Coral reefs in Indonesia`s territorial waters reach to 51.000 kilometers square or 18 percent of the total coral reefs in the world and stretching from the western through the eastern parts of Indonesia`s territorial waters.

With its wealth in biodiversity, Indonesia lies in the coral triangle along with the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

Currently, Raja Ampat islands in Papua Barat Province is the richest area in coral reefs in the world with 537 species of coral reefs and 1.074 species of fish.

Last year former Maritime and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi asked the National Police`s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) to dismantle the many illegal fishing networks believed to be operating in Indonesian waters.

The minister also requested Bareskrim to investigate fish and fuel oil barter activities in which Chinese fishing boats were known to be often engaged in Indonesian waters.

Numberi said his requests was tendered to the police in connection with the apprehension of 26 foreign fishing boats in waters off Papua`s southern coast by an integrated security agencies team.

All of the 26 fishing boats, including two Thai-flagged ones, were currently being detained at Timika`s Pomako harbor in Papua.

Numberi said his ministry believed some organization was behind the illegal activities in Indonesian waters and he had asked Bareskrim to bust it and uncover the individuals involved.

It was also reported the foreign fishing vessels used forged documents.

In the meantime, Navy spokesman First Adm. Iskandar Sitompul previously said the Indonesian Navy had seized 32 foreign ships in Papuan waters since the beginning of the month for crimes ranging from illegal fishing to the transportation of illegally harvested timber.

Iskandar said that most poachers were from Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Thailand. Most of the crew members were Indonesians, he said.

According to him, investigations had already been launched into all the cases and hoped that prosecutions would be filed in the near future.

He said that the seized ships were being held at a number of naval bases, including Jayapura, and Sorong and Manokwari in West Papua.

Court cases relating to the seizure of 25 vessels last year were still ongoing, with the owners of 21 of the vessels filing appeals with the Supreme Court, Iskander said. For example, the MV Golden Blessing was waiting for re-evaluation of its case by the Supreme Court.

Another vessel, the Siong-siong Hai-05099, would be auctioned off if its owners and crew members were found guilty of breaking the law, Iskandar said.

The Navy`s deputy chief, Vice Adm. Moekhlas Siddik, earlier said that in 2008 the Navy successfully prosecuted the operators of 100 domestic and foreign vessels.

During the year, Navy patrols inspected 1,869 ships, and of those, 521 were seized for alleged violations of Indonesian law, he said.

Indonesia is facing a host of unsolved maritime problems including rampant illegal fishing and the environmental damage from the dumping of toxic waste.

Based on a 2007 report from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Indonesian waters costs the state $2 billion each year.

Iskandar said not all the crimes were related to illegal fishing or logging.

Government Called On to Intensify Supervision of Foreign Ships

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 17 February, 2010 | 15:41 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Kupang :The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Provincial House of Representatives (DPRD) member, Paulinus Domi, said there are still many foreign ships passing the NTT waters freely, especially in the border area between Indonesia and Timor Leste, as well as the area bordering Australia.

Based on a research conducted by private institutions on traffic over the NTT waters, particularly in the border areas, these ships are sailing without the supervision of the relevant authorities. “As a result, NTT is losing up to billions of rupiahs in excises and taxes,” Paulinus said, in Kupang on Wednesday.

These foreign ships are sailing freely because there is lack of supervision from the officials and the regional government, he added.

Paulinus said foreign ships are often found in the waters of Northern Central Timor (TTU) regency and Alor, which borders with Timor Leste. However, he did not mention how many foreign ships were found passing the waters.

Therefore, Paulinus called on the regional government to conduct a research and make register foreign ships that often sail on NTT waters, and the supervision there.

YOHANES SEO

Indonesia Admits People-Smuggling Role

Jakata Globe, February 07, 2010

Government officials have acknowledged that Indonesian citizens are continuing to play a role in smuggling people to Australia.

On Sunday, Teguh Wardoyo, a director at a Foreign Affairs Ministry unit tasked with protecting the nation’s citizens overseas, admitted that many Indonesians were still involved in people smuggling, in particular to the country’s southern neighbor.

The admission follows the charging by an Australian court on Friday of an Indonesian for allegedly smuggling people into the country.

According to a statement released by the Australian Federal Police, the man faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and/or a fine of 220,000 Australian dollars ($109,036).

“The AFP charged the man with one count of facilitating the bringing of non-citizens into Australia” of five or more people, the statement said.

Teguh said that the ministry had been assisting the man in the Western Australian city of Perth, but said they could not interfere with the ongoing legal process the man was facing.

“We have to respect the legal process in Australia,” he said.

The man was detained on Nov. 14 last year when the vessel he was on was blocked by a Royal Australian Navy patrol boat operating under the control of the Customs and Border Protection Command, southwest of Ashmore Reef.

Over the past three years, Australian patrol boats have stopped at least seven boats filled with asylum seekers. The latest was carrying 181 passengers and four crew members.

As in previous cases, the passengers of the captured boats were transported to Australian Immigration’s detention center on Christmas Island where they underwent security, identity and health checks, as well as interviews to establish their reasons for wanting to enter Australia.

The Indonesian Consulate in Perth said the boats bringing asylum seekers to Australia were often captained and manned by Indonesians.

According to its Web site, AFP has charged 94 people, including a number of Indonesians, for human trafficking offenses since September 2008.

An Australian Embassy spokeswoman said Australian Ambassador for People Smuggling Peter Woolcott had visited Jakarta last week in an effort to increase cooperation between the two countries in tackling the problems of human trafficking.

The spokeswoman said that during the visit, Woolcott met with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and immigration officials, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Organization for Migration. 

JG, Antara

Two officials found guilty in patrol boat graft case

Bagus Budi Tama Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta| Thu, 02/04/2010 2:02 PM

The Corruption Court found Djoni Anwir Algamar and Tansean Parlindungan Malau, two former Transportation Ministry officials, guilty of corruption in a graft case Thursday and sentenced them to three years and two and a half years in prison respectively.

The graft case involved the procurement of 20 patrol boats by the ministry in 2007 worth Rp 300 billion (US$32.4 million).

The court previously convicted Dedy Suwarsono, the director of PT Bina Mina Karya Perkasa, the ministry's partner in the procurement, and sentenced him to four years in prison.

Dedy allegedly paid lawmaker Bulyan Royan of the Reform Star Party (PBR) Rp 480 million and paid Rp 685 million to ministry officials, including Djoni and Malau, as the ministry's head of the project committee.

Bulyan was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment last year.

Navy patrol arrests illegal coal carrying tugboat

Antara News, Tuesday, February 2, 2010 03:08 WIB

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - An Indonesian navy patrol boat arrested a coal-carrying vessel in the Sulawesi strait after all the ten crew members of the tugboat were unable to produce legal papers.

Spokesman for the Eastern Fleet Command Lt Col Toni Saiful said here Monday the tugboat is now in the custody of the Tarakan naval base in East Kalimantan.

The tugboat had 8,000 tons of coal in its holds when stopped by the navy patrol boat when sailing from Nunukan to Tarakan.

For further investigation, the tugboat is currently held at the Tarakan naval base.

Navy has difficulties monitoring waste dumping

Antara News, Saturday, January 30, 2010 22:51 WIB

Batam (ANTARA News) - It is difficult to monitor foreign ships dumping waste in international waters that has eventually polluted the Batam coastline, navy chief of staff Vice Admiral Agus Suhartono said here on Saturday.

"Because the area is narrow it will be our waters that will suffer the pollution from wastes dumped by ships in the waters outside ours," he said.

He said the activity had so far been carried out in the waters outside our territory while our patrol boats only operated in the country`s territorial waters.

"We have the boats standing by in our territory," he said.

He said the naval patrol boats had never known the ships that had dumped wastes in the sea causing pollution on the coast and waters of Batam island.

"Our boats only find the waste but not the ships that have dumped it," he said.

He said the Indonesian navy was eager to seize the ships that have caused pollution in the country`s waters.

He said the navy would probably develop a radar system to monitor the movement of ships likely to dump wastes. "We will also stand by. We will implement it," he said.

Seven navy ships conduct patrol between Indonesia and Singapore waters and four others in the Malacca Strait every day.

He said the number is sufficient to patrol the narrow area.

Every north monsoon oil sludge flows in the Batam island waters. Tons of oil sludge polluted Tanjung Memban in January this year. When discovered the sludge had reached the coast and stucked to the sand so that it was difficult to remove. The waste has damaged the waters ecosystem of the coast of Batam island.