TAREMPA, RIAU ISLANDS: As the Indonesian Navy blew up three Vietnamese boats for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters on Friday, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said such drastic measures would not lead to conflict with other countries in the region.

This is not a war between countries. This is about people stealing our fish and these thieves are businesspeople, Susi told reporters on the sidelines of an anticorruption day celebration at her office.

Susi said the decision to sink illegal ships operated by foreign fishermen was worthy punishment for their crimes and that the Indonesian government had a legal foundation to take such measures.

Article 69 of Law No. 45/2009 on fisheries stipulates that the coast guard can sink foreign vessels operating illegally in the countrys territorial waters based on sufficient preliminary evidence.

Earlier on Friday, in Tanjung Pedas waters near Siantan Island in Anambas Islands regency, Riau Islands province, the Navy destroyed the three Vietnamese fishing boats.

The boats, which were seized by the Navy on Nov. 2, were fired at from a distance by Navy ships until they were sunk.

The Navys Frogmen Command (Kopaska) also attached explosives to the boats.

Dozens of high-ranking officers with the Navy, the Maritime Security Coordinating Board (Bakorkamla) and Anambas Islands regency administration witnessed the sinking of the boats, by the Navys fast patrol boats, KRI Todak and KRI Barakuda, and a Sigma-class Corvette, the KRI Sultan Hasanuddin.

We blew up the boats after the Ranai District Court declared that the ships were seized and were subject to being destroyed, said Rear Admiral Widodo, the commander of the Navys Western Fleet Command.

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War on Illegal Fishing Begins