The Jakarta Post, 11/22/2003
Hundreds of fishermen in Java to be relocated
AMBON, Maluku (Antara): Hundreds of fishermen from the north coast of Java will
soon be relocated to Southeast and Southwest Maluku districts, Maluku province,
Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rochmin Dahuri said here on Friday. "The
number of fishermen along Java's north coast is getting larger while their fishing
grounds are becoming smaller, so relocation to Maluku is inevitable," Dahuri said. He
said distribution of the fishermen throughout Indonesia should be carried out fairly in
order to avoid illegal fishing by foreign fishermen. Indonesia, according to the maritime
affairs and fisheries minister, has some four million fishermen, 50 percent of whom
operate in Java. "Rather than competing for their catch on the north coast of Java but
remaining in poverty, it would be better for them to be relocated t! o other areas
outside Java that offer more prospects," Rochmin noted. However, he said, he would
not force fishermen in Java toenter the relocation program, which would be carried out
by the Department of Manpower and Transmigration.
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