Indonesian Minister’s Tough Stance against Illegal Fishing

The Straits Times

27 March 2016

The Indonesian minister at the forefront of the country’s latest dispute with China in the Natunas, has been on the warpath against illegal fishing since she took office.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, who was appointed to President Joko Widodo’s Cabinet in late 2014, has since ordered the sinking of 152 vessels caught poaching in Indonesian waters.

The bulk of the culprits are from Vietnam (50) and the Philippines (43), but they also include 14 Indonesia-flagged vessels without permits.

Only one was from China, the country where the Kway Fey, the fishing boat that sparked the latest tensions between the two nations, is from, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said last week.

… Mr Emirza Adi Syailendra, a defence analyst from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that despite plans to boost Indonesia’s maritime presence, those efforts had been limited to the development of infrastructure with little attention given to defence. “That is why Indonesia is still unable to rely on its navy or coast guard to be an effective deterrent, and will still have to turn to diplomacy,” he said.

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