Indonesia is at it again, this time destroying 23 foreign fishing boats in an explosive way.
The latest destruction occurred on Tuesday, due to the dispute over the South China Sea.
Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti confirmed her agency sank 10 Malaysian and 13 Vietnamese boats involved in illegal fishing in foreign waters. According to Pudjiastuti, any vessel caught poaching from Indonesian waters will meet the same fate – even an American ship, stating, “If there is an illegal fishing boat from America, we will also sink it.”
Image: Wall Street Journal
These extreme measures are due to China’s forced efforts to push farther into the South China Sea.
“It’s become increasingly clear that Chinese incursion into neighboring countries’ waters, ostensibly for exploration of fisheries resources, is the new normal,” said Richard Javad Heydarian, a security expert at De La Salle University in Manila. “And clearly Malaysia, Indonesia and other historical fence-sitters have come to share the threat perceptions of more vocal countries like the Philippines and Vietnam.”
As one of the world’s top 15 fish and seafood exporters, it’s not surprising why Indonesia is so protective over fishing in their waters – it’s their livelihood – considering around ten percent of caught fish from around the world come from the South China Sea.
Image: ibtimes.com
“Territorial disputes in the South China Sea have prevented any organized fisheries management, so it’s a free-for-all,” said Euan Graham, director of the international security program at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute.
Since 2014, Indonesia has been hyper-vigilant in their efforts to thwart illegal fishing, destroying 174 boats so far.
