‘Send them to jail’: Fisheries Minister on Blue Boats’ captains

The blue boats being escorted into Honiara earlier this month...

The blue boats being escorted into Honiara earlier this month…

By Rickson Bau

The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has recommend that the captains of the three Vietnamese Blue Boats be sentenced and serve jail terms as a deterrent to other suspected illegal fisherman.

Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon. John Maneniaru made the recommendation in Parliament this week, with the remaining 40 crew members recommended for deportation.

Mr Maneniaru said the Ministry’s position was to recommend to the Director of Pubic Prosecutions, through the Attorney General’s Chamber, that the captains be sentenced and jailed.

He said only a strong deterrent measure would prevent similar future incidents.

The three 'blue boats' in question

The three ‘blue boats’ in question

“The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources position is to recommend to the Director of Public Prosecutions, through the Attorney General’s Chambers, that they be sentenced to serve jail terms as deterrence for future Vietnamese Blue Boats captains construing similar crime,” Mr Maneniaru said.

“This conversation is now going on with DPP and AG Chambers on understanding with the AG Chambers and DPP office and Immigration all 40 crews be deported immediately.”

Meanwhile, the Fisheries MP, who is also member for West Are’are, said this case presented the need for further cooperation at the transnational level.

“The need for cooperation with the Vietnamese authorities through transnational crime unit and INTERPOL in tracking and locating the whereabouts of the two Vietnamese boat owners in Vietnam and the crime syndicate and organisation as a whole.

“This means we are just talking, I myself don’t think it will be that easy because these people came and other countries destroy these boats as they are worthless than what was stolen from our country.”

 

 

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