A Chinese diving instructor has been detained in Indonesia after authorities began investigating allegations that he used a speargun to kill a protected sea turtle in the waters of Raja Ampat.
The man, identified in reports as Wei Shang, was stopped by immigration officials at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar on September 14 as he prepared to leave Indonesia for Kuala Lumpur. The detention followed a request from the Raja Ampat local government to prevent him from leaving while the allegations were investigated.
The case centres on video footage that circulated on social media showing a diver using a speargun to attack a sea turtle near a coral reef in the Fam Islands, close to the popular Piaynemo area. Separate images reportedly show a turtle being butchered, cooked and served as food.
Authorities believe the incident occurred between September 8 and 11. The turtle has been identified by conservation and diving sources as a hawksbill turtle, a critically endangered species protected under Indonesian law. All six sea turtle species found in Indonesian waters are protected.
The allegations drew attention after members of the local Meos Mansar Indigenous Community Patrol reported the suspected poaching to authorities and provided material including photographs, video footage and witness information. Immigration officials subsequently tracked down the suspect at the airport.
Shang has denied being the diver shown in the footage, saying the person in the video was someone else who had been travelling in Raja Ampat at the same time. He has maintained that he was not involved in killing the turtle. No finding of guilt has been made, and Indonesian authorities are continuing their investigation.
The case has also prompted action from diving organisations. AIDA International suspended Shang’s instructor-trainer status while it investigates, stressing that the suspension was precautionary and did not constitute a finding on the allegations. SSI has also opened an investigation.
The incident has drawn particular concern because Raja Ampat is one of Indonesia’s best-known marine conservation and diving destinations. Authorities have reiterated that visitors must comply with Indonesian wildlife and conservation laws while operating in protected waters.
