Thirty-three Vietnamese fishermen detained for entering Indonesia’s territorial waters illegally will be released to enable them return home for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays, authorities in West Kalimanan Province have said.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia sent a working delegation to visit West Kalimanan from February 3-6.
The delegation asked the provincial authorities to work with the Vietnamese fishermen who’d been sentenced and imprisoned in Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimanan, on the basis of humanitarian considerations. The province was asked to consider releasing those who had behaved well under detention.
Cornelis M.H., Governor of West Kalimatan, praised the efforts of the Vietnamese delegation and said he would support expediting the work of relevant agencies to release another 15 fishermen soon.
According to West Kalimatan authorities, 54 Vietnamese fishing boats have been caught since 2009 and about 260 fishermen sentenced for violating territorial waters, and most of them were imprisoned in Pontianak.
VIETNAMNET Bridge