A Chinese diving instructor has been arrested in Indonesia after disturbing footage allegedly showed a diver spearing an endangered hawksbill sea turtle before the animal was reportedly cooked and eaten.
The footage, believed to have been recorded between September 9 and 11 in Piaynemo, eastern Indonesia, shows a diver approaching a hawksbill turtle near a coral reef before firing a large speargun at close range.
The turtle appears to be struck in the neck and can be seen struggling in the water.
Indonesian authorities later arrested Chinese diving instructor Wei Shang, accusing him of being the diver seen in the footage. Police also said they were reviewing photographs allegedly showing a turtle being cooked and consumed.
Wei was arrested by Indonesian immigration officers at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport on September 14 as he was preparing to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
However, Wei has denied being the person in the video.
“I did not kill the turtle. The person in the video is not me,” he said in a social media video.
Authorities have yet to determine whether Wei was responsible for the alleged killing.
The incident has sparked outrage among local residents and environmentalists, particularly because hunting sea turtles has been prohibited in Indonesia since 1999. Spearfishing is also banned within the protected Raja Ampat marine area.
The hawksbill sea turtle is classified as critically endangered worldwide.
Diving organisation AIDA has also suspended Wei, who was an AIDA Instructor Trainer, pending a formal investigation.
“AIDA International is aware of the serious allegations concerning an AIDA Instructor Trainer,” the organisation said.
It condemned the deliberate killing or mistreatment of protected marine life, while stressing that the suspension was a precautionary measure and did not constitute a finding that Wei was responsible.
The incident occurred in Raja Ampat, one of Indonesia’s best-known diving destinations, where marine conservation is a major focus.
Officials are continuing to investigate the footage and determine who was responsible for the alleged killing of the protected turtle.
