Twenty Vietnamese fishermen on two fishing boats are held up in Indonesia due to ‘import tax issues’ and are seeking help from the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia.
On May 25, Quang Ngai Province People’s Committee met relevant agencies to discuss ways to bring back the fishermen.
The fishermen, hailing from the coastal provinces of Quang Ngai and Binh Thuan, arrived in Indonesia on January 3 under fishing contracts with the Dai Duong Investment JSC based in Binh Dinh Province and the Indonesian-based Pt Papua Fishery Development Company.
After arriving in Indonesia, the two boats and all the fishermen were detained for not paying import tax of US$22,000 per boat.
The import tax surprised the boat owners, the Dai Duong company as well as the Vietnamese authorities.
Do Anh Dung, director of the Dai Duong Investment JSC, said that the company was licensed by the Aquatic Resources Exploitation and Protection Department to bring four boats to Indonesia for fishing in the country’s waters.
He said that the company worked with the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia to find ways to bring back the fishermen as soon as possible.
On the same day, the Phu Yen Province People’s Committee received a telegram from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about 11 fishermen and their boat being detained in Brunei.
According to the telegram, the ministry has asked Brunei Embassy in Vietnam to verify the arrest of the Vietnamese fishermen and their boats and asked for their release.
On May 21 the boat PY 90260 TS carrying 11 fishermen was at latitude 7 degrees 25’ north and 112 degrees 38’ east when it was apprehended.
