Prevent The Smuggling Of Animals And Miners, TNI AL Bakal Bangtu Kemenhub Peloti 'Land Of Tikus'

The barge carried coal across the Musi River, Palembang, South Sumatra, Thursday, January 3, 2019. (ANTARA-Nova W)

JAKARTA - The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy (KSAL) Admiral TNI Muhammad Ali stated that his party always coordinates with the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) to help overcome the existence of "rat ports".

"We are coordinating with the Ministry of Transportation. This is brought under control by the Ministry of Transportation, we are just helping," said Ali at the Indonesian Navy Headquarters, Cilangkap, Jakarta, Monday, February 13, confiscated by Antara.

The rat port is a term that refers to an unofficial port which is located far away and rarely reached by officers.

These characters often make rat ports an opening for illegal entry and exit routes, such as smuggling wild animals and agricultural commodities.

Ali admitted that the efforts to eradicate the rat port were rather difficult, especially on the islands of Sumatra and the Riau Islands.

"Because (the distance) is very close and everyone has a water vehicle. So, they can build small wooden ports that can become rat ports," he explained.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that the Indonesian Navy always coordinates with the Ministry of Transportation to help deal with rat ports. Coordination with the Ministry of Transportation is part of the cooperation carried out by the Indonesian Navy in order to eradicate illegal activities in the waters of the Republic of Indonesia.

One of the illegal activities that Ali paid attention to, according to the direction of President Joko Widodo, which was continued by the TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono, was the smuggling of minerals and coal (minerba).

Prevention of smuggling mineral and coal is important in an effort to maintain the downstreaming of natural resources launched by President Jokowi.

Ali emphasized that the Indonesian Navy cooperates not only with maritime stakeholders, such as the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), to carry out this task, but also cooperate with the Indonesian Air Force and local governments.

"This cooperation is not only carried out between maritime stakeholders, but also with the Air Force (TNI) for example in the future, then also with the local government; because usually the local government knows better where the smuggling is, where did it come from," said Ali.