REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo will repatriate 'boat people' stranded in Derawan waters, East Kalimantan. But their captain must be held accountable.

"The President said that we should repatriate the boat people," Coordinating Minister of Maritime Indroyono Soesilo said on Wednesday, December 3.

Based on the data from local government, there are at least 554 boat people in Tanjung Batu, Derawan, Berau, East Kalimantan. They are involved in illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.

Directorate General of Marine, Coasts and Small Islands (KP3K) at the Ministry of Maritime and Fishery Affairs, Sudirman Saad, said Indonesia communicated with Malaysia to find solution. However, Malaysia denied that the boat people were from their country.

Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Michael Tene said most of the boat people entered Indonesian waters from Malaysia. "They are probably traditional fishers who live in the sea," he said. The boat people were found without any document contains their identities or countries of origin.

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