"The fishermen will be repatriated and are scheduled to arrive in Aceh on December 12, 2020," Deputy Secretary General of Panglima Laot Aceh, a tribal leader in the fishing community in Aceh Province, Miftach Cut Adek stated here on Tuesday.
Adek noted that the Acehnese fishermen had served a one year jail term for illegal fishing.
The fishermen departed from Aceh in December 2019 aboard the KM Selat Malaka vessel but were detained by the Indian marine police on December 24, 2019.
According to Adek, the sea waves drifted the fishermen after their vessel encountered engine failure and entered the Indian maritime territory.
"The boat, led by skipper Samsul Bahri, encountered engine failure and was detained by the Indian patrol team in the Nicobar waters," he stated.
Adek remarked that 31 other Acehnese fishermen were still detained in India.
The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry had earlier confirmed that at least 88 Indonesian fishermen were detained abroad and were awaiting trial for alleged illegal fishing in foreign waters.
Of the 88 fishermen, 32 were in Malaysia, 50 were in India, five were in Papua New Guinea, and one was in Myanmar.
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