Indonesian minister Susi Pudjiastuti sank hundreds of boats in crackdown on illegal fishing – now she wants to race Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg

Susi Pudjiastuti responded to a picture of Zuckerberg on Lake Tahoe by saying she wants to challenge him to a ‘paddle race and win 10 per cent of Facebook’

She has overseen a major crackdown on illegal fishing in Indonesian waters as authorities have seized and destroyed hundreds of boats

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Indonesian Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:02pm, 10 Jul 2019Updated: 5:27pm, 10 Jul 2019

An Indonesian minister known for sinking foreign vessels intruding into the country’s waters has challenged Mark Zuckerberg to a race after the Facebook founder posted a picture of himself paddling on Lake Tahoe.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti threw down the gauntlet to Zuckerberg on Instagram in response to a post showing him on a paddle board on Lake Tahoe, with the sun setting in the backdrop. Pudjiastuti said she would love to challenge Zuckerberg to a “paddle race and win 10 per cent of Facebook”.

The minister said she would sell the shares and use the money to buy a “few big patrol vessels” to protect Indonesian waters from illegal fishing.

She would also purchase thousands of new fishing boats for Indonesian fishermen so they can “go fishing more and better”, she said in comments that generated more than 5,000 responses and were liked by 55,000 users.

Facebook and Zuckerberg haven’t responded to the minister’s challenge. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.