“Once we have trained the necessary personnel, we will acquire a large vessel so that we can monitor resources at sea, including fishing,” Xanana Gusmão told reporters at the end of his weekly meeting with President José Ramos-Horta. East Timor is losing tens of millions of dollars due to illegal fishing in its waters, according to the head of government.
“We still do not have sufficient capacity to control our seas. For this reason, we have already discussed in the Council of Ministers the need to ask the police to train personnel capable of operating large vessels,” he explained.
The prime minister also acknowledged that the country needs larger ships to operate in the Timor Sea, emphasizing that small vessels cannot withstand the strong waves in the area.
Xanana Gusmão also praised the work of the maritime police, who recently arrested 32 foreign nationals for illegal fishing off the southern coast of Timor-Leste.
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“Illegal fishermen take all the fish from Timor-Leste, sell the best quality ones, and throw the rest back into the sea,” he lamented.
Interior Minister Francisco da Costa Guterres emphasized on Wednesday that Xanana Gusmão had instructed the ministries of Defense, Interior, Transport and Communications, and Agriculture and Fisheries to step up coordination to strengthen maritime patrols and prevent illegal fishing.
“We have already held two meetings, and the prime minister has asked that we continue our coordination so that we can then prepare the necessary conditions to resume patrols along the southern coast,” the minister added.
To improve control over its maritime resources, Timor-Leste also needs to resolve the delimitation of its maritime border with Indonesia, which will allow for strengthened surveillance operations.
