China anger after Indonesian navy fires on vessel
China anger after Indonesian navy fires on vessel
Agencies
Beijing
China urged on Indonesia to rein in its navy on Thursday after an
attack on a Chinese-flagged trawler this week killed one crew
member and wounded two.
An Indonesian war ship fired at the trawler suspected of
illegal fishing in the eastern Arafura sea on Monday after it
ignored radio contacts and warning shots.
"China hopes the Indonesian government will take effective
measures to restrain the navy and other relevant departments to
avoid abuses of force during law enforcement," Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference.
"China and Indonesia are friendly nations and the two sides
should handle problems in fishing cooperation with a calm and
restrained attitude and should not resort to use of force too
easily."
China's official Xinhua news agency said the Chinese vessel
was operating illegally as its license for fishing in Indonesian
waters had expired.
Qin said the Indonesian navy still held 10 Chinese crew
members, including the two injured.
China said on Thursday it was "astonished and strongly
dissatisfied" after an Indonesian warship opened fire on a
Chinese fishing boat.
"We have made solemn representations to the Indonesian side,
expecting it to inform us of the latest developments," an
official at the Chinese embassy in Jakarta, Yu Hongyao, told the
China Daily.
Yu said the Chinese government was "astonished and strongly
dissatisfied" with the actions of the Indonesian navy.
The incident took place on Monday when the KRI Tanjung Dalpele
came upon four boats believed to be illegally fishing in the
Arafura Sea between Indonesia's Papua and Maluku provinces, the
Indonesian navy said.
Three of the ships fled. The navy vessel hailed the fourth
one, MV FuYuan 123, which was flying the Chinese flag, the navy
said.
Captain Melis from the Indonesian Eastern Fleet Navy
information office in Surabaya, East Java, said standard
procedures were followed.
He said that after the boat ignored calls to halt, three shots
were fired into the air before the gun was fired at the side of
the Chinese vessel, which suddenly veered as if trying to collide
with the warship.
The China Daily said 13 shots were fired.
The damaged ship and its remaining 13 crew members are in
detention at a naval base in Merauke on the southeastern coast of
easternmost Papua province.
"We're informed that the health of the detained crew members
is OK, and we have asked the Indonesian side to treat them
humanely," Yu was quoted as saying.
Eastern Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Didik Heru Purnomo said
the Chinese ship was guilty of multiple violations, Indonesia's
state Antara news agency reported.