TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Vietnamese government claims that four of their fishermen were wounded after being shot by the Indonesian Navy. “Four Vietnamese fishing boats with four crew members were shot on Saturday afternoon,” Vietnam’s Binh Dinh Province Disaster Mitigation Agency reported in its official website
The report said that the fishing boats were 245 kilometers off the coast of Con Dao Island, Vietnam, when the Indonesian Navy shot them. The boats was taken back to Con Dao on Monday morning and the injured fishermen were taken to the hospital, two of whom suffered serious injury.
Read: UN Supports Indonesia to Eradicate Illegal Fishing
It is not yet known whether Vietnam has filed an official protest to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. Sahono Budiarto, Directorate General of Marine and Fishery Resources Monitoring official, the Fishery Ministry, said that he was not aware of the alleged shooting.
The Indonesian Navy Deputy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Achmad Taufiqoerrochman in a message posted on social media has denied the allegations. “Vietnam’s statement was false. TNI AL [the Indonesian Navy] has always conduct itself in a measured manner,” he said yesterday.
In a press release on Saturday, the Indonesian West Fleet Command said that KRI Sutanto-377 ship arrested Vietnam-flagged fishing boat in the Natuna Sea's continental shelf. With 12 crew members on board, the ship was escorted to Tarempa Naval Base for further process.
Asian Correspondent | Daily Mail | Natalia Santi