Illegal fishing a national security issue

“IT is not just an illegal fishing matter to be addressed by the National Fisheries Authority. It is a national security issue that must be raised at the highest diplomatic levels,” Fisheries Minister Mao Zeming said in the other daily newspaper last Friday (Dec 30).
On the same day, The National published a front page photo and report of the capture of a Vietnamese fishing boat that was caught red-handed with its illegal harvest of sea cucumbers in Milne Bay waters.
Well Minister Zeming, the aggrieved resource owners and general public have been complaining about the pillage of their marine resources for years and had been waiting to see some really effective and serious deterrents put in place by your ministry and department.
These include imposing hefty penalties, including imprisonment for these illegal foreign poachers and making their governments pay for all their legal and repatriation costs.
Maybe that might send a faster message than the usual drawn-out pussyfooting of diplomatic rhetoric and red tape as they obviously have not been effective.
While the our political leaders and bureaucrats are dragging their feet on this issue, we will need sufficient funds and resources to maintain effective maritime surveillance.
The local people andtheir provincial governments will continue to be robbed of their resources and miss out on much-needed revenue and services.
Given the limited resources and capability of the PNG Defence Force maritime element, the National Fisheries Authority, in partnership with the police department and national maritime office, should establish a fleet of small fast crafts in each maritime province to help monitor illegal harvesting of our marine resources by foreigners.
Pirates, marauders and plunderers are criminals.
No responsible government or international agreement will condone their actions.
They disgrace their own country and treat their victims with contempt and for such, severe deterrents must be meted out.

BT Laskona, Via email