JAKARTA: Indonesia sunk another Vietnamese fishing boat as the country presses on with its fight against illegal fishing here the other day.
The 330-ton vessel, which was seized by West Papua’s Raja Ampat Police on Jan. 19, was blown up at 11.15 a.m. local time in the waters surrounding Sonek Mandei island in Raja Ampat, the National Police said.
Explosives were attached to the hull before explosives were detonated from a distance, said Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie, spokesman for the National Police.
Police arrested 12 Vietnamese fishermen and confiscated fishnets, shark spears, a machete and two tons of sharks when they made the initial arrest.
In early December last year, the Indonesian government destroyed three Vietnamese boats in the Anambas Islands, which are located between Malaysia and Kalimantan.
President Joko Widodo has vowed to crack down on illegal fishing in Indonesia’s territorial waters, which authorities say is costing the country billions of dollars and ruining the environment.
