Off-season beche-de-mer harvest reaps K40,000 fine

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE Buka District Court has fined a Chinese businessman K40,000 in default eight years’ jail with hard labour for encouraging fishermen to harvest beche-de-mers during the restricted harvesting season in Bougainville.
Buka Court Magistrate Bruce Tasikul said yesterday that Wen Qing Chen, 53, from Fujian, China, was also fined for buying and storing K163,200 (192kg) worth of beche-de-mers.
“He was arrested and charged for buying cured beche-de-mers at his store at Ieta village on Buka between May 13 and 16,” Magistrate Tasikul said.
“He appeared before court on four charges of engaging in storing of dried bech-de-mer products of substantial value during the prohibited harvesting season.
“He was fined K10,000 each for these charges. He was ordered to pay these fines in default of two years each for these charges. ”
Magistrate Tasikul said Wen was ordering his employees to buy cured beche-de-mers from local fishermen and storing them in his premises.
“National Fisheries Authority and police confronted him outside his store on May 16 and accompanied him into his premises to find these beche-de-mers ready to be exported. These officers had been tipped off about Wen’s illegal activities.”
Magistrate Tasikul said the court didn’t accept Wen’s explanation that he was sorry for what he did.
“He said he bought the beche-de-mers because he felt sorry for the fishermen who came to sell the products due to hard times.
“He further told the court that he had been helping fishermen to earn some money.”