Indonesian Navy Sinks Filipino Fishing Boat

Surabaya, E Java (Antara) - The Indonesian Navy's Eastern Indonesian Fleet Command (Koarmatim) has sunk a Filipino fishing boat MV Gerry 12 in the waters of Tahuna Bay, Apengsembeka village, Sangihe Islands District, North Sulawesi. The Filipino fishing boat sunk after being set ablaze on January 10, 2015, Lieutenant Colonel Maman Sulaeman, a spokesman of Koarmatim, remarked here on Tuesday. Commander of the Tahuna Naval Base Colonel Fransiscus Herman led the operations, he added. The boat was sunk in accordance with a verdict given by the Tahuna district court that had passed a ruling to destroy the Filipino fishing boat, MV Gerry 12, he stated. MV Gerry 12 was captured by Indonesian warship KRI Yos Sudarso-353 in Sangihe waters, North Sulawesi Province, in December 2014. The 12 crew members aboard the fishing boat, including nine Filipino nationals, failed to present the necessary documents. The Sangihe Sea, which shares its border with Filipino waters, is prone to illegal fishing activities conducted by Filipinos. President Joko Widodo has ordered all concerned parties in the country to take the strongest possible action against foreign fishing boats poaching in Indonesian waters. "I say, do not capture the foreign fishing boats poaching in Indonesian waters. If needed, sink them straightaway, but save their crew members first. If we do that to some 20 boats, others will think twice before setting out for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters," Jokowi stated last November.(*)