Most of the fishermen were from the central provinces of Quang Binh and Binh Dinh, and the southern provinces of An Giang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
According to Nguyen Thanh Giang from the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia, some 300 Vietnamese fishermen have been brought home from the beginning of September until now, 228 of them were transported on September 15 by sea.
The number of Vietnamese fishermen arrested in Indonesia has surged in recent times, raising difficulties for both countries’ authorities in bringing them back home.
The Embassy said some 800 Vietnamese fishermen captured by Indonesian forces for entering their seas, have been repatriated so far this year. The majority of tools and assets on the ships of Vietnamese fishermen were confiscated, while their ships were destroyed or sunken.
Indonesia has affirmed that it will continue its strict measures against fishing vessels operating illegally in its waters. Two months ago, the country destroyed 23 impounded foreign fishing boats, some of which were from Vietnam.
