About 1,000 fishermen from Batang regency in Indonesia’s Central Java staged a demonstration on Tuesday and blocked the northern seacoast road (known as the Pantura line) in a protest against a ban issued by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries for the use of trawls and seine nets for fishing.
The rally paralyzed traffic, halting vehicles traveling east from Jakarta and west from Semarang. The fisherman burned tires and fishing nets on the road during the demonstration.
The protest turned chaotic as the fishermen started to stone police officers who tried to disperse the rally by throwing tear gas. Several police officers reportedly suffered injuries.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen’s Association (KNTI) called on all parties to exercise restraint to solve the problems caused by the ban on the use of trawls and seine nets, asking the government to protect fishermen affected by the policy.
The KNTI called on all parties to restrain themselves while ensuring the process runs optimally, said KNTI chairman Riza Damanik as quoted by Antara on Wednesday.
He said the KNTI supported the ban, which has been implemented since 2005, but it had recorded that an estimated 10,000 trawl boats were still operating in Java in 2014.
2015 PT. Niskala Media Tenggara