Indonesia sets 39 Vietnamese fishermen free
Indonesia on December 15 handed over to Vietnam 39 fishermen who were arrested for illegal fishing in Indonesia’s waters.
 |
Most of them, who were arrested and detained in Pontianak island, the Kalimantan archipelago of Indonesia two or three months ago, come from the central and southern provinces of Vietnam, including Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Kien Giang.
Tarmuji from the Kalimantan Immigration Office under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights Indonesian 23 other Vietnamese fishermen are still detained in Pontianak, and the Indonesian side will complete procedures to return those to Vietnam soon.
Nguyen Thanh Giang from the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia said additional 31 fishermen will be sent back to Vietnam home in next weeks, adding that the embassy will make all-out efforts to bring more Vietnamese fishermen detained in Indonesia home as soon as possible, he affirmed.
Indonesia has affirmed that it will continue its strict measures against fishing vessels operating illegally in its waters.
In August this year, the country destroyed 23 impounded foreign fishing boats, some of which were from Vietnam.
