Indonesian police have confirmed that the Chinese diving instructor who was detained on suspicion of killing and eating an endangered turtle in Raja Ampat has been formally named as a suspect in the alleged crime.
Southwest Papua Regional Police named Wei Shang – identified in police statements as WS and in some reports as Wilson Shang – as a suspect on 23 September after conducting interviews with witnesses and an examination of evidence gathered so far.
The investigation followed an outcry after footage circulated last week showing a diver using a speargun to catch the turtle at a reef in Raja Ampat’s Fam (also Pam) Islands.
Other images shared on social media showed the animal cooked and served as food.
Investigators examined the reef north of the homestay where Shang had been staying during his visit, where they also questioned four witnesses.
Evidence secured during the investigation included knives, diving equipment and cooking utensils, along with discarded turtle bones and scutes.
Police also secured cameras, phones, memory cards, a hard drive and a laptop believed to be connected with the case.
‘This morning we conducted a case review to name WS as a suspect,’ said Iwan P Manurung, the force’s director of special criminal investigations, adding, ‘We are not pursuing a confession; we are pursuing evidence. The motive is still being investigated.’
Shang had earlier denied shooting or eating the turtle, telling local media that he had shared accommodation and a boat with two men – also foreign nationals – he had only recently met, dived separately from them and objected when they returned with the turtle.
Manurung, however, alleged that Shang and the two other men had dived with the deliberate intention of hunting wildlife. He said the two men, who have since returned to their home country, are also under investigation although they have not yet been formally identified as suspects and their identities have not been released.
Shang is being investigated under Indonesia’s conservation legislation, which carries a potential prison sentence of three to 15 years if found guilty.
Both SSI and AIDA, the agencies under which he works, have issued statements regarding the allegations, with AIDA temporarily suspending his teaching status.
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