China protests Indonesian attack on fishing boat
China protests Indonesian attack on fishing boat
Agence France-Presse Beijing
China has summoned a top Indonesian diplomat to protest after an Indonesian warship fired on a Chinese fishing boat, killing a crew member, the foreign ministry said Saturday.
The incident happened Monday in the Arafura Sea between Indonesia's Papua and Maluku provinces when the navy fired on the fleeing vessel which was illegally fishing in the area.
One crewmen was killed, and two injured. Ten crew members, including the wounded, were detained in Indonesia.
Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang on Friday summoned the Indonesian embassy's charge d'affaires to protest, according to a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry's website.
Shen, on behalf of the Chinese government, expressed astonishment and strong dissatisfaction over the navy's "inhumane" law enforcement.
China and Indonesia, as countries with friendly relations, should avoid such incidents and deal with future problems in a "sober and restrained" manner "rather than resorting to use of force at will," Shen said.
"China hopes the Indonesian government could take effective measures to discipline the navy and relevant departments, to shun abuse of force in the course of law enforcement and guarantee no more incidents of this kind will occur in future," said Shen.
China also requested the Indonesian government do its best to provide medical care to the wounded and release the detained crew members and fishing vessel as soon as possible.
The charge d'affaires said the wounded fishermen had been given good medical treatment and the others were treated well, according to the statement. The Indonesian side would handle the incident appropriately, he said.
China plans to send officials to Indonesia to deal with the incident.
Three other ships, also believed to be illegally fishing in the area that day, were also hailed by the Indonesian naval vessel but fled, the Indonesian navy said.
The navy vessel hailed the fourth one, MV Fuyuan 123, which was flying the Chinese flag, the navy said.
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 navy said.
Chinese state media said 13 shots were fired.
Indonesian naval officials said standard procedures were followed and the ship was not hit by gunfire until more than five hours after it was first hailed.
The Indonesian navy has been seeking to crack down on illegal foreign fishermen.