News about the five surviving crew members reached a fishermen's group called Mitra Nelayan Sejahters. After recording the identities of the crew members, the group sent a letter to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry on 14 April 2024.
They did not just inform the Ministry about the surviving crew members,
they also complained about the activities of RZ 03 and 05
The two ships were found to be operating in several regions , including Dobo Port and Ambon, as well as Pulau Penambulai.
The Ministry responded by sending an Interpol notice to the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea and requested their help to detain RZ 03 and RZ 05.
Australian radar detected the location of the two vessels.
The Indonesian government then pursued RZ 03, which was detected in the Arafura Sea.
The vessels were detained on Sunday, 19 May 2024.
Run Zeng 03 was then forced to dock at the PSDKP base in Tual.
When they were detained, the vessels were carrying 12 Indonesian crew members and 18 foreign crew members.
RZ 03's case was then brought to trial at the Tual District Court, and its captain Wang Zengjun was indicted.
While RZ 03's trial was ongoing, Run Zeng 05 was detained by the government of Papua New Guinea. The vessel was carrying 19 Indonesian crew members. Two among them are suspected to be underage. However, the Indonesian government is unable to bring them back home immediately.
Amid the ongoing legal process, the cases surrounding Run Zeng 03 and Run Zeng 05 still contain many abnormalities. What are they? Read the series of reports that will be published on Sunday, 13 October 2025 on Jaring.id and in Tempo Magazine.