Team Searching Fishermen Missing in Indonesia-PNG Border Waters

Jayapura, Papua (Antara) - A team consisting of members of the navy, Basarnas (national search and rescue agency) and the local community are searching for five fishermen who are still missing after being caught by PNG DF (defense forces) on Thursday. The commander of the XIth Naval Base in Merauke, Papua, Brigadier General Buyung Lalana said when contacted by Antara over the issue confirmed here on Sunday that the search effort is still continuing. He said the Basarnas has deployed one of its ships while the navy and local people used speed boats in the effort. "The XIth Naval Base is also preparing naval ship KRI BOA in case it would be needed," he said. He said the operation is quite difficult as waves are high. He said he would meet five other fishermen who managed to escape, who are now already in the city, in the evening in connection with the incident. "We will hear directly from them about the chronology of the event," he said. It was reported on February 6, ten fishermen from Merauke while looking for sea cucumber in a coral cluster on the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border were caught by fully armed PNG DF personnel and their boat and belongings were burned. The 10 fishermen who are villagers of Lampu Satu, Merauky, were then ordered to swim to the beach around five kilometers away. At around 8pm local time five of them managed to reach the coast but five others failed and their fact was not known until now. The missing fishermen are known as Alexander Coa, Ferdinando Coa, Roby Rahail, Joni Kaize and Zulkfikar Saleh. Those who managed to reach a naval post on the coast are Anton Kanez Bazik-bazik, Yakobus G Mahuze, Silvester Ku Basik-basik, Marselinus Maya Gebze and Andreas Mahuze. (*)