Indonesia Navy Fires at China Fishing Boat
21/09/2005| IslamWeb
An Indonesian war ship fired at a Chinese-flagged fishing trawler, killing a Chinese crew member and wounding two others, a navy spokesman said on Wednesday.
Lieutenant-Colonel Toni Syaiful said the Chinese vessel was suspected of fishing illegally in the eastern Arafura sea and tried to flee from the Indonesian navy ship on Monday after ignoring radio contacts and warning shots.
"The navy ship then shot the propeller and the vessel tried to run away and then we shot the deck," Syaiful told Reuters by telephone from Indonesia's second city of Surabaya.
"We found two tonnes of fresh fish and on top of that they failed to produce appropriate documents to fish in Indonesian waters," Syaiful said.
He said the vessel was carrying 17 Chinese nationals and was now anchored in the eastern city of Merauke in Papua, about 3,825 km (2,350 miles) east of Jakarta.
Officials at the Chinese embassy in Jakarta could not be immediately reached for comment.
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