When the Boat Comes in
Forty fishing boats seized from Thai "thieves" illegally fishing Indonesian waters ended up going for a song at auction. The winner was business, not the poor Acehnese fishermen who were originally supposed to get them. There are whispers of corruption too.
November 20, 2000
Aceh’s fishermen were told they might own the confiscated Thai ships, seized six months ago from fishermen caught stealing Indonesia’s precious marine resources. It turned out to be just an empty promise. The 40 vessels instead went to a fishing firm. Aceh’s provincial government said it was impractical to give them to the fishermen and auctioned them off cheaply instead.
The trawlers were kept in port in Aceh for half a year,
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