[Kabar-indonesia] Aceh fishery sector still needs assistance [+Ship theft syndicate]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: JP: Ship theft syndicate member transferred to Jakarta 

The Jakarta Post
Thursday, June 29, 2006

Aceh fishery sector still needs assistance 

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

"Neupiyoh, ungkot mantong baroe ditren dari kapai (Come and drop by! The fish 
are fresh from the boat)," a fishmonger calls out to potential buyers.

The fish are laid out on tables and their smell fills the air. People stroll 
through the fish market, examining the goods on offer. Nearby, scores of 
fishermen unload baskets of freshly caught fish from boats that have just moored. 

This is the scene every day at the Lampulo fish auction market in Banda Aceh, 
both before the tsunami and now. 

The fishing sector in Aceh is slowly returning to normal. Aceh fishermen work 
with available but limited equipment. The tsunami and earthquake had an 
adverse impact on 54,516 fishermen, or more than 70 percent of the people working 
in the industry. 

The government is making efforts to restore the fishing industry, but so far 
only 47 percent of the infrastructure damaged in the tsunami, mainly fishing 
ports and fish landing facilities, has been rebuilt more than a year after the 
disaster. 

Iskandar Ahmad, head of the Aceh Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Office, said 
the damaged fishing facilities were located in 13 regencies and municipalities 
across the province. Of the 38 damaged, only 18 have been rebuilt. 

"So far, at least 70 percent of the fishermen in Aceh have returned to work, 
despite having to use limited equipment," Iskandar said. 

Besides equipment and infrastructure limitations, many shoal areas silted up 
after the tsunami, restricting fishing in shallow waters. 

"Silt from the tsunami has covered the coral reefs where marine life gathers. 
As a result, traditional fishermen who are only equipped with limited fishing 
equipment are forced to fish in deeper waters far from the shore," said 
Iskandar. 

A foreign relief agency involved in restoring fishing infrastructure in Aceh, 
CHF International, funded by Americare, rebuilt the Lampulo fish auction site 
in Banda Aceh and is helping fishermen to procure fishing vessels. 

Americare President Curtis R. Welling said they had spent Rp 3.24 billion 
(US$380,000) on the reconstruction of the Lampulo fish auction facility. "This is 
a form of our care toward the people of Aceh," said Welling. 

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The Jakarta Post
Thursday, June 29, 2006

Ship theft syndicate member transferred to Jakarta 

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

One of 16 suspects linked to an international ship theft syndicate was handed 
over to the Jakarta Police on Wednesday in Medan.

The other 15 suspects, including two Malaysians, who were arrested by the 
North Sumatra Police, were detained at the directorate of water police in 
Belawan, North Sumatra. 

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said the 
suspect was being passed on because the crime he was arrested for took place under 
the legal jurisdiction of the Jakarta Police. 

Bambang said the suspect admitted to having stolen two ships -- the Marcopolo 
and the Gemini -- near Jakarta and selling the two vessels in the 
Philippines. 

"We do not have the authority to handle his case ... just let the Jakarta 
police investigate it," Bambang said, adding he hoped the handover would help 
speed up the investigation. 

Bamband said that, based on testimony from the 16 arrested men, the syndicate 
had stolen at least six ships belonging to Indonesian businessmen and sold 
them overseas. 

Two of the stolen ships -- the Sentana V and the Martha Dini had been 
recovered and towed to Belawan from the Philippines, he said. 

"We are still searching for two other stolen ships," Bambang said, adding the 
syndicate worked professionally. 

While he did not mention the number of foreigners involved in the criminal 
operation, Bambang said two of the syndicate members were Malaysians, identified 
only by their initials, T and LHS. 

The two Malaysians acted as the syndicate's backers, providing funds and 
fuel, he alleged. "The two are the ones responsible for providing the operations 
funds for the ship thefts," Bambang said. 

In their operations, Bambang said, the two bosses recruited a number of crew 
members assigned to work at shipping companies in Indonesia. After working for 
two months, the crew members would allegedly steal ships from their 
companies. 

"All the stolen ships usually had their names changed and were equipped with 
fake documents before being sold out in the Philippines, Singapore or 
Malaysia," he said. 

North Sumatra water police chief Sr. Comr. Budi Untung said the ship theft 
syndicate had been uncovered with the aid of various parties, including a senior 
liaison officer from Interpol Indonesia in the Philippines and the Indonesian 
envoy to the Philippines. 

When asked if the police planned to repatriate the two Malaysian suspects, 
Budi Untung said the two would soon be tried in Indonesia. 

"They will be tried here because their acts of thefts were conducted in 
Indonesia," Budi said. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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