Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta - The Head of the Public Information Bureau of the Indonesian National Police (IN) Public Relations Division, Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, announced that the Waters and Air Police Directorate of the INP Security Maintenance Board  had intercepted an illegal fishing attempt by a Malaysian-flag vessel in the Malacca Strait, Riau Islands. "The Malaysian vessel, identified as PSF 2,500, was intercepted in the waters of the Malacca Strait, Riau Islands," he  said in Jakarta on Wednesday (6/3/2024). Chief Trunoyudo explained that the patrol operation took place on 28 February 2024. A captain and three crew members from Thailand and Myanmar were also detained during the operation. After a thorough investigation, the INP Security Maintenance Board handed the case over to the Batam Maritime and Fisheries Resources Enforcement Agency (PSDKP) for further action. "Their modus operandi was to use the international shipping route through the Malacca Strait to avoid detection by the water police patrols," Chief Trunoyudo explained. The evidence recovered included 200 kilograms of various fish caught in Indonesian waters, as well as a number of troll nets. In 2016, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries banned the use of troll nets due to their negative impact on Indonesia's marine ecosystem. (mg/inp/pr/nm)