Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed not to arrest fishermen carrying out their trade in the grey area between the two countries.
Acting chief spokesman of the Sea Security Agency (Bakamla), Commodore Widodo Eko Prihastopo, said here on Wednesday that the move was part of the efforts to increase the welfare of fishermen.
He said it came as a follow up to the evaluation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed in Johor Baru, Malaysia recently.
"With the MoU (in place), there will be no more any arrests of fishermen sailing or fishing in the grey areas where the maritime borderline has not yet been settled," he said.
He said the focus area for cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia has been the two countries geographical engagement, since they are close to each other. Both the countries have focused efforts to protect their fishermen carrying out their trade in waters where the exact border remains elusive.
"The MoU would be used as a reference for the operations conducted by the two countries law enforcement agencies in the sea," he said.
In case fishermen are found entering the grey area, they will only be ordered to leave that area. "An arrest could be made only if the fishermen are found fishing using banned materials specified in the agreement, such as explosives, chemical materials or electrical equipment," he said.
An arrest could also be made if fishermen are found clearly trespassing the border that has been settled, he said.
He admitted that some fishermen were still violating the border and entering the other countrys territorial waters.
Based on data obtained in 2014, there were 19 cases of fishermen from Indonesia entering the Malaysian waters. That number increased to 31 in 2015.
In 2014, there were ten cases involving Malaysian fishermen entering Indonesian waters, with the number rising to 12 in 2015.
Data of cases of fishermen entering grey areas is still being collected.
Widodo said the meeting also agreed on the need to communicate directly in case of arrests of fishermen and investigations. The meeting also discussed common best practices to be implemented as part of the framework of the MoU.
"It is hoped that it will be a beginning in the matter of assuring protection to the two countries fishermen. Certainly, it is aimed at maintaining and increasing the good relations between Indonesia and Malaysia," he said.(WDY)
