Indonesia arrests 580 Vietnamese for illegal fishing

As part of that effort, the Vietnam Embassy reports that Indonesian authorities have seized and destroyed more than 170 trespassing Vietnamese fishing boats, which have been blown up to deter the practice.

A growing number of Vietnamese nationals, estimated at 580, have now been arrested and are being detained by Indonesian authorities on charges of fishing illegally, said Ambassador to Indonesia Hoang Anh Tuan.

Both countries, said the Ambassador, are working together to curb the influx of offenders, which in many cases is unintentional and due to fishermen’s’ limited knowledge of geography and the law.

In such cases, we are working to get the fishers repatriated as soon as possible. 

For those captains of the boats and others who clearly had knowledge and intended to violate Indonesian law, they will be required to serve a sentence of six months to six years behind bars before they can be released, noted the Ambassador.