Singaporean boat captain Shoo Chiau Huat, who was arrested for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters on Apr 16 last year, finally returned home on Tuesday (Aug 29) after being deported from the country. According a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), he had spent a 16-month detention stint in Indonesia after he was caught ferrying Singaporean and Malaysian tourists on a fishing trip.
The Indonesian navy patrol had stopped his boat for illegal fishing and trespassing in the Tanjung Berakit waters off Bintan island.
Following his acquittal of the original charges, Shoo continued to remain in detention, as Indonesian officials filed new charges of immigration offences against him. This January, he pleaded guilty to entering the country illegally and coughed up a 50 million rupiah (SGD5,100) fine in March, hoping he would be released after that.
Unfortunately, he faced a third set of charges on Apr 4 for violations under Indonesia’s shipping law, reported Channel NewsAsia. The illegal sailing charge was dismissed on May 3.
According to an MFA spokesman, the Singapore Consulate in Batam and the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta had been in regular talks with the Indonesian authorities to request to expedite the processing of Shoo’s case and to make sure he received his due legal rights under Indonesian law.
After being away from his wife and four children for so long, Shoo reunited with his family upon his release from Tanjung Pinang. His daughter, younger brother and sister-in-law were present at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to receive him. The last time the 51-year-old saw his loved ones was when his wife and daughter visited him in Indonesia six months ago.
According to The Straits Times, Shoo was only told he would be released on Tuesday morning. His 51-year-old wife was not at the ferry terminal, as she was busy preparing rituals to rid her husband of bad luck.
“It was tough in jail. I wondered why the prosecution kept appealing, and objecting to my acquittal,” Shoo told The Straits Times. “The most difficult point for me was being detained in the local jail, where there were over 70 people in a cell.”
In light of the news, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan expressed gratitude to the Embassy in Jakarta and Consulate in Batam for their “persistent efforts” on the case.
Shoo’s release comes after the recent return of another Singaporean boat captain who faced a similar predicament. Ricky Tan Poh Hui, 45, was detained in Indonesia for eight months after he was caught trespassing in Indonesian waters. He arrived back in Singapore this May.
