When Bajo speak of the period between 1920 and the early 1970s, it is remembered as a time of relative freedom (dulu bebas) to fish in the Timor Sea. For example:
In the past, it was open [bebas], we were not disturbed, in fact when we met with Australian navy or oil rig workers they gave us food and water but this is not the case now (Si Kariman, Mola Selatan).
But when Bajo speak about fishing in Australian waters since the 1974 Memorandum of Understanding, they commonly say ‘nanti sekarang dilarang’ (‘now it is forbidden’).
The Mola Bajo understanding of the new restrictions on their fishing activities and landing rights differs from the official Australian point of view. They commonly say it is because other people — namely the Madurese and Pepelans — had broken into, vandalised and damaged buildings and store rooms on various islands in the past, and because of similar acts on the islets at Ashmore Reef, this area was also closed to fishing.
After the time of the plane [1936], it was still all right for the Bajo to fish, even if we met with patrol boats we were still permitted to fish [masih bebas] at Ashmore Reef, Scott Reef, Adele Island and Rowley Shoals. But now the area is guarded and we were not allowed to fish there any more because of thieves. The Madurese people in perahu lete lete broke into the buildings, destroyed the inside and stole things, which ended in a serious result. If they hadn’t done this we would have been allowed to continue fishing. At that time I encountered the patrol ship number 0090. On the ship was an interpreter, a Malaysian. He told me the reason we were not allowed to fish there any more. He said Indonesians are thieves. He said the buildings contained supplies, like water and food for people that are in trouble and had a shortage. He said ‘don’t break into the buildings and don’t take anything’. Just imagine if they hadn’t wrecked the buildings we would still be allowed to search for fish, trochus and shark (Si Badolla, Mola Selatan).
The Pepela people broke into the buildings, took things, and Australia was angry (Si Idrus, Mola Utara).
The Raas people destroyed storerooms on the islands, that’s why we can’t fish there any more (Si Hasmin, Pepela).
During the 1960s and 1970s, there were a number of reported acts of vandalism by Indonesian fishermen against Australian weather stations and store rooms on islands including West Islet at Ashmore Reef, Scott Reef, Browse Island, Adele Island and Rowley Shoals. The following example is contained in the Ashmore Reef Plan of Management:
An automatic weather station was erected on West Island in 1962. By 1970 all equipment had been stolen and the inner walls removed. The station was refurbished in 1971 but pilfering and vandalism again resulted in the destruction of the station. It was abandoned in 1973 (ANPWS 1989: 13).
On 17 August 1977, in reply to a question in the House of Representatives debate concerning the text of the sign erected at Ashmore Reef in 1975, the then Minister of Primary Industry, Mr Sinclair, read out the English-language version of the sign. Points 5 and 6 declared:
You must not interfere with the automatic weather stations on Ashmore Island, Scott Reef, Browse Island, Rowley Shoals, Adele Island. Indonesian fishermen found anywhere in possession of material suspected of having been taken from those automatic weather stations are liable to be prosecuted in Australian courts. There is no food or water in any of the automatic weather stations. If you try to enter them they will send a radio message to Australia and the Royal Australian Navy will come to investigate.
Unless you are shipwrecked, you must not take food from the food dumps left by Australia on the islands. If you are not shipwrecked and take the food, you could cause people who have truly been shipwrecked to die of starvation (DFAT 1988: 15).
In a House of Representatives debate on 19 November 1981, the Minister for Health, Mr MacKellar, replied to a question on illegal landings by Indonesian fishermen since July 1978. He stated that there had been 25 landings on Australian soil reported by surveillance air and sea patrols. One of these, dated 25 September 1979 reads:
An Army Nomad aircraft sighted an Indonesian fishing vessel in the vicinity of Adele Island. The Transport vessel M.V. Cape Pillar responded and found that the food and water cache at Adele Island lighthouse had been stolen and there was Indonesian writing on the lighthouse walls. The fishing vessel was not relocated (DFAT 1988: 26).
It is easy for the Bajo to blame other groups of competing fishermen for acts of vandalism and destruction. By way of contrast, La Muru, a longtime Pepela resident who has fished for decades at the offshore reefs and islands, said: ‘The Bajo wrecked the buildings and storerooms on the islands which is why it became forbidden to fish near the coast.’ It is of little importance which group was ultimately responsible for the vandalism, but what is interesting is that the two competing groups of fishermen have the same ideas about why their fishing activity came to be restricted. Neither group thought the restrictions were the result of the heightened Australian immigration or quarantine concerns, the expansion of Australian maritime and fisheries zones under international maritime treaties and law, the impact of international agreements and obligations, concerns with over-fishing of certain marine resources, or the attempt to protect the conservation values of specific areas such as Ashmore Reef. Australian agencies have obviously failed in their campaign to educate the fishing communities of eastern Indonesia on the complex issues of border security, international law and environmental conservation. A more targeted, cross-cultural and socially informed communications campaign based on local perceptions would be more likely to achieve this educational goal.