3 October 2002
Indonesia Six Thai fishermen will be tried soon by the Singkil District Court in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh on charge of illegal fishing in the Indonesian waters, a local official said Wednesday. "The suspects are still under investigation of the Indonesian Navy, and soon the dossiers are concluded they will be brought to court," the deputy chairman of the Singkil district court announced.
The fishermen, including three ships' captains, were arrested in August when illegally entering the Indonesian waters aboard three vessels. Along with 41 seamen, the suspects are being detained in Singkil Prison. Two other Thai fishermen, Parisit Chorat and Watsado Tan Tachat, are now serving their 9-month jail sentence on similar charge after being arrested in January. Earlier in the day, a patrol boat belonging to the Ministry of Maritime and Fishery caught a Thai vessel in the Karimata Straits of West Kalimantan Province also for illegal fishing.
In late September, two Malaysian-flagged shipping boats were arrested by the North Sumatra police because they could not show fish-catching license in Indonesian waters and tried to flee. Ten fishermen are in custody for trial.
