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Illegal activities suspected up north
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Posted on Jul 28 2004
The lack of a patrol boat that would police the Northern Islands has allowed foreign vessels to conduct illegal activities in the area, such as illegal fishing—and possibly human smuggling.
Capt. Kimo L. Gottwald, operations manager for the Northern Islands’ mayor’s office, said that satellite photographs taken by naval intelligence show a foreign vessel docked on one of the islands, raising suspicions that this is involved in human smuggling operations.
He said, though, that these suspected illegal activities have not been confirmed as “no one’s up there to actually investigate.”
Gottwald said the most recent sighting of a foreign vessel, which he likened to a typical Japanese fishing boat, was only about eight months ago north of Agrihan.
He said there have been reports of foreign vessels from Japan, Korea and the Philippines that unlawfully enter the CNMI’s territorial waters. Before the Cold War ended, he said there was even a sighting of Russian submarines in the Northern Islands.
Gottwald underscored the need to enhance the Northern Islands’ capability to police its territorial waters during a meeting by the newly created First Responder Task Force.
He said the CNMI needs a boat for this purpose. An ideal boat is a 65-footer wharram, which can stay up to four months at sea before reloading for fuel, according to Gottwald.
Gov. Juan N. Babauta yesterday formed the task force, saying that his administration’s top agenda include improved security, besides economic development.
The task force, which is composed of at least 10 government agencies, would tap into Homeland Security grants. The agencies include the Emergency Management Office, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., the AGO, the departments of Public Safety and Public Health, and the offices of the mayors of Saipan, Tinian and Aguigan, Rota, and the Northern Islands.
