Indonesia seizes Malaysian boat for illegal fishing
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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 the further legal process. ■