UN slaps global port ban on ships for North Korea sanctions violations

Yahoo – AFP, Philippe RATER, 10 October 2017

The UN has slapped a global port ban on four vessels found violating sanctions
against North Korea

The UN has slapped a global port ban on four vessels found violating sanctions against North Korea, the head of an expert panel said on Monday in what he described as an unprecedented move.

The United States led a drive at the Security Council to impose two recent sets of sanctions to punish Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile tests.

"There are four vessels that have been designated by the committee. The designation doesn't mean an assets freeze or travel ban. But it's a port ban," said Hugh Griffiths, coordinator of a UN Security Council panel on North Korea sanctions, adding the ships were found "transporting prohibited goods."

"It's a pretty swift and decisive action by the committee," he said, adding that the ban went into effect on October 5.

Griffiths was speaking at the conclusion of the second UN meeting on enforcing North Korea sanctions.

A source close to the matter said the four ships were found carrying coal, seafood and iron ore, exports banned by a UN resolution imposed in August.

The ban was expanded last month to include textiles and North Korean guest workers and also capped oil exports.

North Korean diplomats were present at the meeting but did not speak, according to diplomats.

According to a source, the listed ships were the Petrel 8, Hao Fan 6, Tong San 2 and Jie Shun. According to the MarineTraffic website, the first three fly the flags of Comoros, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and North Korea. The Jie Shun is not listed on the site.

'Enforcement crucial'

"It is crucial that resolutions are fully enforced," Inigo Lambertini, Italy's deputy representative to the UN said.

"Sanctions are not the final objective. Just a means. But of course, to be effective, sanctions must be applied by everybody," he added.

North Korea's UN envoy last week accused the US of working to block economic development and denounced sanctions imposed on poor countries as a bid to "destroy modern civilization."

Ambassador Ja Song Nam said North Korea will withstand the blow of sanctions and continue "along the road of building the socialist power by dint of the spirit of self-reliance and self-development."

The latest set of sanctions were in response to Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test -- the largest yet -- and the firing of two missiles over Japan.

North Korea's main economic partner China has signed up to the measures, as has Russia.

But the US has not ruled out the use of force to compel Pyongyang to halt its missile and nuclear tests, and President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy the country.

On Saturday, he said that diplomatic efforts have consistently failed and "only one thing will work," in what appeared to be a repetition of previous threats of force.

Lizard skins, swordfish horns and two tonnes of coral recovered in police raid

DutchNews, August 29, 2016

Picture: Dutch police. 

Police and customs officers have seized a record haul of illegal animal products, including swordfish horns, mounted crocodiles and coral. 

Altogether two tonnes of coral, as well as snake and lizard skins and ivory from protected species, were recovered from five storage units in North Brabant, together with €500,000 in cash and gold. 

A spokesman for Rotterdam police said researchers spent three days categorising the collection, which was characterised by a ‘bizarre range and diversity’. 

The trail to the illegal depot began after a routine check at Rotterdam harbour uncovered 345 kilos of coral contained in 15 packing cases on a container ship from China. 

The owner of the company where the items were stored, a 53-year-old man, is under investigation but police said no arrests have been made.

Police Confiscate 176 Smuggled Shark Fins

Jakarta Globe, May 28, 2015

Indonesian authorities in Bali have confiscated smuggled shark fins which
are a protected species under Indonesian law. (AFP Photo/Sonny Tumelaka)

Jakarta. Police in Indonesia have arrested one person seized 176 shark fins destined for Bali from the island of Java.

Comr. Nyoman Wirya Sucipta, the chief of the port police in Gilimanuk, the main crossing point into Bali from East Java, said on Thursday that the fins were found wrapped in plastic and packed into boxes, and were believed to have been taken from several different species of sharks.

Wirya told Antara that port police officers also arrested a man, identified as Hasan Basri from East Java, for carrying the fins.

“We’re still questioning the owner of the fins. He couldn’t show us any proper documentation that would allowed him to carry the fins of endangered animals,” Wirya said.

Police have sent the fins to the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) in Denpasar, the Bali capital, to test which shark species they come from.

Shark-finning, a brutal practice in which fishermen slice the fins off sharks and throw the animal back into the water to die, is technically not banned in Indonesia. However, the government lists several species of sharks as protected, and any trade in their parts is prohibited and punishable by law.

The shark-fin trade is driven by a growing demand for Chinese cuisine, where the part is considered a delicacy. Dozens of Chinese restaurants in Jakarta alone serve shark fin soup, advertising the dish prominently.

Fishermen from detained Taiwanese ship freed by Philippines

Want China Times, CNA 2015-05-14

The Sheng Feng No. 12. (Photo/CNA)

The captain and crew aboard a Taiwanese fishing ship detained in Batanes province of the Philippines last week for alleged poaching in territorial waters were released and allowed to return home Wednesday after paying a fine of US$50,000.

Lin Tung-heng, a section chief of Taiwan's representative office in the Philippines, and Hsu Chz-yeh, an official with Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration, presented a check for US$50,000 to the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to pay the fine.

The sum had been remitted to the Philippines by the family of captain Hung Tien-ting.

The fisheries agency then filed a motion with the Basco district prosecutors' office and court to drop the case, and the court agreed, leading to the immediate release of the ship, its captain and crew.

Hung, who will leave the Philippines Thursday along with his ship and crew, said after the court ruling that he was still considering whether to return to Taiwan or go on another fishing trip to make up for losses from the fine.

Expressing the financial pressure he felt in paying the fine, Hung told CNA that he will discuss the issue with his family before making a decision.

He also voiced his gratitude for Taiwan's representatives in Manila for their assistance over the past week.

The Pingtung-registered Sheng Feng No. 12 was detained last Thursday while passing through waters 6.5 nautical miles off the coast of Yami Island when inspectors on a Philippines ship approached and boarded the fishing boat to see if it was operating illegally.

The six people aboard the ship — Captain Hung, chief engineer Huang An-sheng and four Indonesian fishermen — were each released on 15,000 pesos (US$336) bail last Friday after negotiations with Filipino officials.

They were allowed to move freely in the Philippines before appearing in court Wednesday.

Related Article:

Fishing incident between Taiwan, Philippines resolved: minister

Scores of Seafood Slaves in Indonesia, Officials Turned Blind Eye: Report

Jakarta Globe, Tri Listiyarini, Apr 05, 2015

Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti says she will closely monitor
 fishing companies operating in Indonesia to prevent slave labor. (Reuters
Photo/Tim Wimborne)

Jakarta. Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti pledged to closely monitor fishing companies operating in Indonesia after a year-long Associated Press investigation revealed at least one Indonesian firm — and likely many more — using slave labor.

Susi said she was disturbed to learn Pusaka Benjina Resources had been keeping 327 workers, mainly from Myanmar, working in captivity without pay, on pain of torture or even death.

Her office has since shut down the company, based in Benjina, in Maluku’s Aru Islands district.

“We will launch an investigation; we will sanction [those involved],” the minister said on the sidelines of her visit to a fishing village in Pangandaran, West Java.

“In Benjina, even though the victims are foreigners, Indonesia felt it must take action because [the case] happened within Indonesia’s jurisdiction,” she said.

Susi said her office quickly inspected other fishing companies operating in Benjina and found 1,185 fishermen working there, mostly from Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, in slave-like conditions.

The minister said there was rampant evidence that other firms in the area were using slave labor — and had been for years.

With the help of sympathetic locals, the AP interviewed the Myanmar workers, who said they were forced to work 22 hours a day, whipped with toxic stingray tails, denied any pay, and barred from returning to their home country or tell anyone about their plight. Some were put in cages.

The director general for monitoring maritime resources, Asep Burhanuddin,  said the ministry formed a task force with the local prosecutors, immigration offices, the Indonesian Navy and National Police.

On Friday, days after the story broke, task force officials deployed to Benjina for a crackdown.

“We were able to confirm that there are slavery practices [at PBR],” Asep told Detik on Sunday. “Some were electrocuted for the tiniest mistake like falling to sleep. This is inhumane.”

The workers, some of whom have been slaves for nine years, were taken to the Tual, some 100 kilometers west of Aru Islands, where they were repatriated.

Company officials have been charged with human trafficking and violating the Manpower Law while the task force investigates who else may have been involved.

Indonesia to Partner With Interpol in Tackling Illegal Fishing

Jakarta Globe, Mar 02, 2015

Susi Pudjiastuti, the minister for maritime affairs and fisheries, visiting a dock
 where impounded illegal foreign fishing vessels are kept, in Kubu Raya
 district, West Kalimantan. (Antara Photo/Jessica Helena Wuysang)

Jakarta. The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is eying a partnership with Interpol to better tackle illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.

“The ministry will partner with Interpol to catch poachers using fake taxpayer numbers, so the ministry will not be alone [in facing this challenge],” Minister Susi Pudjiastuti told reporters on Monday, as quoted by news portal Republika.co.id.

The initiative stems from the seizure of a ship named Kunlun by the Australian government, last week. The Kunlun, which had been operating under at least 10 different names and five flags since 2006, was one of three illegal fishing ships in the Southern Ocean that had been tracked down by Interpol, which facilitates international police cooperation.

Susi stressed that illegal fishing was an international crime. She also noted that the ministry had arrested boat crews that included underage workers and others without proper documentation.

“This kind of crime committed on the oceans can be used for human trafficking,” Susi said. “This is a subject for international investigation.”

Related Article:

Google joins fight against illegal fishing

Albanian sailors killed during ferry rescue operation

Two Albanian sailors have died during efforts to tow a wrecked Greek ferry that has been adrift on the Adriatic Sea since a fire broke out on board. The official death toll from the disaster has reached 12.

Deutsche Welle, 30 Dec 2014

Police said the sailors were on a tugboat when they were reportedly hit by a rope they had attached to the charred Norman Atlantic ferry near the Albanian port of Vlore on Tuesday.

"One man died on the spot when one cable broke after it got stuck in the propeller. The other died on board a few minutes ago when being assisted by a helicopter medical team," a port authority official told Reuters.

The crippled ferry has been drifting in the Adriatic Sea since one of its car decks caught fire near the Greek island of Corfu on Sunday. The official death toll from the disaster now stands at 12.

Dutch company Smit Salvage is overseeing the operations to secure the ferry after 427 people, including 56 crew, were safely evacuated during a 36-hour rescue

mission that ended on Monday.

Martijn Schuttevaer, a spokesman for Smit's parent company Royal Boskalis Smit, said one line had been successfully connected to the ship early Tuesday, and that the priority was to get a heavier tow line attached. It was not clear if that was the operation underway when the Albanian sailors were struck.

‘Still smoke' on board

The Italian-flagged Norman Atlantic, chartered by Greek ferry operator ANEK Lines, was sailing from Patras in western Greece to Ancona in Italy when the blaze broke out on board.

According to Schuttevaer, crews were still patrolling the vessel to put out any remaining fire.

"There is still smoke," he said.

Meanwhile, authorities say discrepancies in the ferry's passenger list of 478 people are making it difficult to know how many individuals were on board, or how many of them, if any, are still missing.

Italian Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said it was possible there were illegal migrants on board, and added that authorities were looking for a definitive list of passengers to cross-check it with the names of survivors.

Italian and Albanian magistrates ordered that the ship be seized in order to investigate the cause of the fire, which is still unknown, and magistrates in both countries are deciding together where the vessel should be towed, Italy's Transport Ministry said in a statement.

nm/es (Reuters, AP, dpa)

Related Articles:

Dual criminal investigations launched into Adriatic ferry tragedy - New
Burning ferry to be towed to Italy as rescue airlifts continue

Safety standards on passenger ships

Fishy Business in Maritime Sector, as Ship Sinking Directive Goes Lax

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite & Nuriy Azizah Susetyo, Dec 19, 2014

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo is questioning the commitment of his staff to protect Indonesia’s maritime resources, ordering officials to be more serious about sinking foreign vessels caught poaching on Indonesian waters.

“Two months ago I gave a direct order: If any [foreign fishing boats] enter our waters, immediately sink it. I have to repeat the same order up to three times before any action is taken,” Joko said in his speech at the National Development Planning Seminar in Jakarta on Thursday.

“I thought to myself, why must I issue the same order three times. They should have taken action the first time I said it.”

Joko’s speech would likely fuel further speculation that Indonesian security officials have been assisting foreign poachers in exchange for bribes.

Several officers have been sanctioned in the past for assisting boats that encroached Indonesian waters as well as those involved in people smuggling.

Joko also questioned why security officials have so far only sunk around 30 trespassing boats, pointing to a government estimate 90 percent of the fishing vessels operating in Indonesia are foreign boats that operate without permits or have little fear of being sanctioned.

According to the government, Indonesia has lost up to Rp 300 trillion ($24 billion) annually from foreign poachers. To address the problem, the government is planning to increase the number of boats to patrol Indonesia’s vast waters.

The National Police’s Marine Security Division has 678 patrol boats, while the Indonesian Navy has 159 ships.

Both agencies have said that they are well-equipped and have adequate human resources but pointed to a lack of funding to buy fuel as the main reason why their patrols have not been effective.

Last month, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko proposed a supply of 350,000 kiloliters of fuel per month to patrol Indonesian waters.

Maritime and Fishery Affairs Miniter Susi Pudjiastuti said the government is planning to recruit 100 of the country’s best sailors annually “to take over Indonesian waters, which is usually controlled by foreign boats.”

Susi said the archipelago hosts some of the finest seamen in the world. “We ask [local leaders] to find 100 future sailors a year. We will train them and send them to [naval] schools overseas,” she said.

Joko has made maritime affairs one of his key programs as part of his ambition to turn Indonesia into a “global maritime axis.”

The president has stated that aside from better protection of its maritime resources, Indonesia is also planning to make the sea the country’s main transportation hub both domestically and internationally.

The government has pledged to build 24 seaports and import up to 2,500 boats as part of the plan to connect Indonesia’s major islands and increase the flow of goods and expedite development in underdeveloped regions.

Engelina Pattiasina, the director of maritime think tank Archipelago Solidarity Foundation, said Joko must first increase the competitiveness of the regions themselves or they will be further marginalized by the influx of migrants and goods from more developed Indonesian areas.

If Joko does this right “the [underdeveloped] eastern Indonesian region will have the chance to realize its potential,” she said.

Joko has established a program to build the country’s shipping industries.

But maritime expert Chandra Motik Yusuf noted that Joko has yet to formulate policies to realize this.

Joko is also keen to assist Indonesian fishermen in increasing their production.

On Wednesday, state-controlled firm Telekomunikasi Indonesia said that it has established 11 “digital fishing villages” where fishermen in the areas can get real-time information via the Internet.

Related Articles:

Taiwan warns its fishermen against illegal practices - New

AGO Adds Another Death Row Inmate to Imminent Execution List

Indonesia Sinks Vietnamese Boats to Stop Illegal Fishing

Yahoo – AFP, Dec 05, 2014

Navy officers stand over the illegal fishing vessel KM Fak-Fak Jaya, which was
 captured by Navy personnel patrolling the the waters of the Aru Islands in Maluku
 on Dec. 4, 2014. AFP reported on Dec. 5 that the government blew up and sank
three empty Vietnamese boats. (Antara Photo/Izaac Mulyawan)

Jakarta. Indonesia blew up and sank three empty Vietnamese boats on Friday, the navy said, as the world’s biggest archipelago nation pushes to stop foreigners from illegally fishing in its waters.

It was the strongest measure yet taken in the campaign launched by new President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, who is seeking to stop a practice he says costs Southeast Asia’s biggest economy billions of dollars in lost revenues.

The navy, working with other government agencies, sank the three boats in the remote Anambas Islands, which lie between Malaysia and the Indonesian part of Borneo island, navy spokesman Manahan Simorangkir told AFP.

“The message we want to convey is no foreigners should steal from Indonesian waters,” he said, adding Indonesians should be able to “benefit from their own waters”.

The Jakarta Post newspaper reported that explosives were attached to the boats before two government vessels fired on them from a distance.

Thirty-three people had been detained and three tons of fish seized from the ships, which were caught last month, it said.

Television pictures showed thick smoke billowing from one of the boats as it sank.

As well as costing the economy billions, authorities say foreigners illegally fishing in Indonesia is partly responsible for massive damage to the environment due to the widespread use of explosives and cyanide.

Jokowi hopes that increased revenues from fishing can help boost economic growth, which has sunk to a five-year low.

Agence France-Presse

Indonesia makes first arrests of manta ray traders

Three traders arrested for dealing in whole manta rays and their gills, in first detentions since legal protections

theguardian.com, AFP, Wednesday 1 October 2014

Butchered manta rays in Indonesia, where a sanctuary for the species was
created in February 2014 Photograph: Paul Hilton/Greenpeace

Indonesia has detained three traders for attempting to illegally sell manta rays, the first such arrests since the world’s biggest archipelago introduced legislation protecting the huge winged fish, conservationists said.

In February, the biggest manta ray sanctuary on Earth was established in Indonesia in a bid to put a stop to the creatures being hunted for use in traditional medicine, and attract more tourists.

Manta rays are now protected within the millions of square kilometres of ocean surrounding Southeast Asia’s biggest nation, with fishing and export of the creatures banned.

US-based group the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates a wildlife crimes unit in Indonesia, said that three manta ray traders were arrested in August and September on the main island of Java.

The arrests send a “clear message that Indonesia is serious about protecting its natural heritage against illegal wildlife traders,” Joe Walston, the society’s vice president for field conservation said in a statement released this week.

Indonesia’s Marine Affairs Minister Sharif C. Sutardjo hailed the arrests, and was cited as saying: “Illegal trading of protected species threatens the sustainability of marine and fisheries resources in Indonesia.”

Officials holding sezied manta ray gills in Indonesia Photograph: Paul Hilton/Greenpeace

The first arrest on 22 August involved a trader in Surabaya city in the east of Java attempting to sell a shipment that included manta ray gills, which are sought after in China for their use in traditional medicine.

A second trader was arrested in Sidoarjo, near Surabaya, on 1 September, while the third was detained on 26 September in Indramayu in west Java, attempting to sell an entire manta ray.

Trafficking manta rays, whose numbers in Indonesia have fallen sharply in recent years, is punishable by a maximum fine of $25,000, the conservation group said.

The rays have wingspans up to 25 feet (7.5 metres), which they flap to propel themselves through the water, and are a favourite sight for foreign tourists, many of whom come to Indonesia to dive.

Protection group the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies both species of manta ray - the oceanic and reef varieties - as vulnerable.

Related Articles:

UN: 'Time to take the heat off turtles'

Earth lost 50% of its wildlife in the past 40 years, says WWF

Canadian nabbed with 51 turtles in his pants

Yahoo – AFP, 26 Sep 2014

In a picture taken on June 20, 2012, red-eared slider turtles are seen at an enclosure

at the Manila Zoo. Red-eared sliders were one of the varieties of turtles found in the

pants of a man arrested for smuggling at the US-Canada border (AFP Photo/Noel Celis)

Ottawa (AFP) - A Canadian has been caught at the US-Canada border with 51 live turtles stuffed in his pants in what American authorities claimed was an elaborate reptile smuggling operation.

The scheme was uncovered last month but was only revealed this week in US federal court documents cited in a Friday report by the Toronto Globe and Mail.

According to the newspaper, Canadian border officials arrested Kai Xu as he tried to cross into Windsor, Ontario from Detroit, Michigan in August, and handed him over to US authorities.

"Xu was found to have 51 live turtles taped to his person," a US Fish and Wildlife Service said in an affidavit cited by the Globe and Mail.

The seized turtles were North American varieties including eastern box turtles, red-eared sliders and diamondback terrapins that sell for as much as $800.

A second Canadian, Lihua Lin, was arrested on Wednesday at the Detroit airport, bound for Shanghai with more than 200 North American pond turtles in his checked luggage. He had been dropped off at the airport by Xu.

Xu and Lin have been charged with smuggling and other related offenses, and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Related Article:

UN: 'Time to take the heat off turtles'

Police Arrest Alleged Turtle Smuggler in Bali

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana,  Jul 15, 2014

A Green Sea Turtle grazes. (Wikimedia Commons)

Denpasar. Police foiled an alleged attempt to smuggle rare green turtles from Bali’s mainland to nearby Serangan Island on Tuesday — the latest arrest in a string of turtle smuggling busts to hit the popular tourist destination.

A 56-year-old man, identified as Sangkalan, was arrested early this morning after police officers on patrol in Ngurah Rai found 17 turtles inside his pickup truck, Denpasar Police Chief, Sr.Cmr. Djoko Hariutomo said.

The turtles were estimated to be more than 5 years old, given their size. They weighed about 50 kilograms each and measured about 1 meter in diameter, Djoko said.

Djoko said the driver claimed to have been following an order to transfer the turtles to Serangan, a small island located south of the capital Denpasar, from Jembrana.

“He was just a paid man, we haven’t revealed the syndicate,” the police chief said.

Bali was considered the main destination for smugglers trying to move turtles in Indonesia because of the high prices they commanded in the local animal trade, Djoko said.

Most were destined for culinary purposes.

Today’s arrest is the latest in a string of attempts to smuggle turtles in Bali.

Earlier this month two marine police officers in Bali were arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle seven green sea turtles, known as Chelonia mydas.

In March, police rescued another 17 green turtles transported to Bali from Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara.

Twelve of the turtles were released back into the ocean after they were treated, while the remaining five are still undergoing treatment.

Dutch arrest 30 Greenpeace activists blocking Russian Arctic oil tanker

Activists including members of 'Arctic 30' detained as they try to stop Gazprom ship delivering oil to Rotterdam

theguardian.com- AFP, Thursday 1 May 2014

Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior along with inflatables and paragliders surround
 Russian oil tanker Mikhail Ulyanov to protest against first shipment of Arctic oil
in Rotterdam. To see a larger version of this photograph, click here. Photograph:
Ruben Neugebauer/Greenpeace

Dutch police on Thursday arrested around 30 Greenpeace activists, including the captain of the lobby group's ship Rainbow Warrior, as they tried to stop a Russian tanker delivering Arctic oil from docking.

"The captain has been arrested and the ship is being taken elsewhere else," police spokesman Roland Eckers told AFP of the Rainbow Warrior.

"Several activists climbed a fence to prevent the ship docking and several others were in small boats also trying to impede the tanker and several were arrested, around 30 activists," Eckers said.

Police on board Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior ship. Photograph: Chris
Grodotzki/Greenpeace

The Rainbow Warrior was being captained by Peter Willcox, who was among campaigners detained by Russian authorities last year after staging a high-profile protest against Arctic drilling.

No one else aboard the Rainbow Warrior was arrested, while the tanker, bringing a first delivery of offshore Arctic oil to Rotterdam, was now safely moored, police said.

Related Articles:

Total's purchase of Arctic oil shipment sparks row over offshore exploration

Putin says Greenpeace had 'noble' motives as more crew freed

A North Jakarta Fishing Community Learns How They Are Being Cheated

Jakarta Globe, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata, November 18, 2013

A worker walks between dried fish during dry fish processing at Marunda
beach in North Jakarta, on Sept. 2, 2013. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)

Members of the Muara Angke fishing community in North Jakarta make their living from the sea, but it is a living that many residents say is increasingly at risk from pollution and environmental degradation.

So when one of Indonesia’s corporate law firms recently organized a class in Muara Angke, residents packed a community hall to learn about fishery and environmental laws, and to be briefed on city bylaws and regulations for running a small business, including the process to secure a business permit (SIUP) and certification for home-based food businesses.

Tri Sutrisno, a youth activist in the area, welcomed the initiative and said it offered important information that could benefit residents.

He said, for example, that residents had learned that obtaining a SIUP should be free, as regulated in a 2012 Jakarta bylaw, as opposed to the Rp 1 million ($86) or more that residents reported being regularly asked to pay in the past.

“The process is apparently quite simple and should not be as complicated as we have encountered,” he said after participating in the class, organized by the law firm Soewito Suhardiman Eddymurthy Kardono (SSEK), along with 75 other residents at the hall.

“I also found out from the session that the docking fee for a 30 to 50-ton fishing boat is actually only Rp 75,000, according to a city bylaw. In reality, we have to pay an exorbitant fee of up to Rp 1.5 million every time we dock our vessel,” Tri said.

Though the deeply ingrained bureaucratic culture of red tape and illegal fees will be hard to eliminate, Tri said, at least residents were now more aware of the laws and regulations that affect their lives and their livelihoods.

That, according to Denny Rahmansyah — a partner at SSEK who helped organize the event on Oct. 19 — was the goal. He said they did not expect an immediate sea change, but the firm wanted to give the community the knowledge that would allow them to begin improving their lives.

Another partner at the firm, Dyah Soewito, agreed that it was important to take that first step of familiarizing the community with the law.

“SSEK came to Muara Angke and organized this seminar because understanding the law, realizing what is expected and required of them, and of officials, is the first step for residents in fighting for and obtaining their rights,” she said.

Basso Tawang, a retired fisherman, said understanding the law was important for pushing back against the environmental degradation of Jakarta Bay that has made it difficult for fishermen to earn a living.

Basso, who was born in South Sulawesi but moved to Jakarta with his family when he was young, said he and the other Muara Angke residents now knew more about gathering evidence of environmental damage and filing complaints with the appropriate government agencies.

“Jakarta Bay is heavily polluted and it is no longer the pond of milk as described by Koes Plus in their song,” Basso said, referring to the song “Kolam Susu,” or “Pond of Milk,” by the Indonesian band. The song talks about the riches of Indonesia’s waters, with fishermen able to count on a fruitful harvest even when using just a net or fishing pole.

The legal session was held in cooperation with the North Jakarta Police, who spread the word about the class to the local community, which is administratively unrecognized by the city, and encouraged residents to attend and empower themselves to run small-scale fishery businesses.

Head of the Sunda Kelapa subdistrict police, Anton Elfrino Trisanto said police fielded numerous complaints from residents about business deals gone wrong.

Salim Gunawan, a community leader, said he had been victimized by his former business partners.

“I used to run my own flower crab wholesale business but I was conned out of money and went bankrupt,” he said, adding that it was the result of blindly trusting his partners without having the proper legal knowledge of how to run a business.

Anton said the police welcomed the chance to empower the Muara Angke community. “It could help them in doing business,” he said.

Bali Police Seize 33 Endangered Turtles

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, December 10, 2012

Marine police in Bali carry sea turtles after they were seized from an illegal
 poacher in Denpasar on Monday. Although regulated by law, sea turtle and
parts of turtle trade is still frequently taking place in many places in Indonesia.
(EPA Photo)

            

Related articles

• Italian Police Arrest Mafia Boss in Bali
• PDI-P Looks Inside Its Own Ranks for Bali
• Jumeirah to Build Luxury Resort at Bali’s Jimbaran
• Two More Sentenced to Death in Killing of Bali Family; Appeals Are Pending
• How to Master The Sweet Art of Surrender at Luxe

Denpasar. Marine police in Bali have seized 33 endangered sea turtles in Denpasar, believed to have been poached to be sold to restaurants, a police spokesman said on Monday.

Bali police spokesman Sr. Comr. Hariadi said they found the green sea and hawksbill turtles on board a ship at Tanjung Benoa beach at around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. Hariadi said there was no one else on board.

“They are believed to have been studying the location well so that they could escape the monitoring of officials,” he said, adding that they were still looking for the boat's owner and crew.

Soemarsono, the head of the Denpasar Nature Conservancy Office (BKSDA), said that some of the turtles were suffering from dehydration and estimated their selling price at between Rp 5 million ($519) to 7 million per animal.

The BKSDA office is planning to send the turtles, which are endangered and protected species, to the Serangan Turtle Conservation.

“We will treat them first and after they are well, we will release them," Soemarsono said.

He said that Bali continued to be a profitable smuggling destination because of the continuing high demand for turtle meat, including for Hindu rituals, despite the official prohibition.

The last turtle haul was in October when 16 hawksbills were rescued from a ship. There have been at least five turtle smuggling attempts in Bali this year.

Fishing ban to start in South China Sea

English.news.cn   2012-05-16

Vessels anchor in Batou Township of Denghai District in Shantou, south
China's Guangdong Province, May 15, 2012. China will soon impose a routine
 fishing ban in northern parts of the South China Sea, authorities announced
 Monday. The fishing ban will last from May 16 to August 1, covering areas
north of the 12th parallel of north latitude, including Huangyan Island but
excluding most of the Nansha Islands, according to a spokesman from the
 South China Fishery Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture.
 (Xinhua/Yao Jun)

           

GUANGZHOU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A two-and-a half month fishing ban began at noon on Wednesday in most parts of the South China Sea, marking efforts to rehabilitate marine resources, according to fishery authorities.

The Hainan provincial marine and fishing department said all 8,994 locally-registered fishing vessels have been moored, affecting 35,611 people.

The annual fishing ban, which has been in place since 1999, will last from May 16 to August 1 this year, covering areas north of the 12th parallel of north latitude, including Huangyan Island but excluding most of the Nansha Islands.

The fishing ban was adopted to promote the sustainable development of the fishing industry in the South China Sea and protect the fundamental interests of fishermen, said officials with the South China Fishery Administration Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

Violators will face punishments such as fines, license revocations, catch and vessel confiscations and even legal consequences, according to a statement issued by the fishery bureau under the MOA.

The provincial fishing authority said fishing vessels with Nansha Islands fishing permits are required to install and switch on vessel positioning equipment so they will not accidentally enter banned water areas.

The fishing ban is also applicable to foreign ships.

A spokesman from the fishery bureau under the MOA said earlier this week that the fishing activity of foreign ships in the banned areas will be seen as a "blatant encroachment on China's fishery resources."

Two law enforcement vessels, "Yuzheng 310" and "Yuzheng 303," or "Fishery Administration 310" and "Fishery Administration 303," were sent by the MOA on Tuesday to patrol the region.

Editor: Luan

Related Articles:

Chinese fishing boats held by North Korea

In Indonesia, Community Patrol Shuts Down Shark Crimes