REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Minister of Maritime and Fishery Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti praised Vietnam after its government asked permission to enter Indonesian waters. Thousands of vessels belong to Vietnamese fishermen were forced to enter Natuna Islands in West Kalimantan due to typhoon hagupit.
Pudjiastuti said that she received official letter from Vietnam Embassy in Indonesia about the case. They asked for protection from hagupit. "I appreciate Ba Ria Vung Tau Province for their gesture," Pudjiastuti said on Thursday, December 18.
In the letter sent through Indonesia Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese government said that about 1,928 vessels carrying 13,399 fishermen tried to harbor in Natuna. Pudjiastuti said she allowed the vessels to harbor for the next two weeks. However, she said that government would still be aware of any possibility of illegal fishing.