Panglima Laôt

Panglima Laôt (or Panglima Laot; Sea Commander in Acehnese dialect) is a tribal leader in fishing community in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province of Indonesia.

He constitutes to organise Hukôm Adat Laôt (customary maritime law). The law, which is developed upon the basis of Islamic Law and is not set out in writing, consists of a system of marine laws and regulations; in regard, the sea is a source of work and welfare. It varies in detail depending on local conventions and type of fishing gear. Keeping pace with development in fisheries, the custom was developing more rapidly than other custom laws and covered most general procedures, including leader selection process, organisational structure, role and duty, etc. The custom and established by the Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607–1637) of Acehnese Sultanate Samudera Pasai to maintained maritime affairs under Sultan mandate, i.e. regulating fishing seasons and rights as well as resolving local conflicts. The custom subsisted in local fishing community during Dutch colonial (1904–1942), Japanese occupation (1942–1945) and Indonesian government (1945 to date) eras.