Indonesia marks Independence Day by sinking illegal ships
NATUNA ISLANDS, Indonesia — Indonesia marked its Independence Day on Wednesday by sinking 60 foreign ships seized for fishing illegally in the country’s waters.
Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said the ships were sunk at eight locations across the Indonesian archipelago.
Pudjiastuti has organized the destruction of more than 200 illegal fishing boats since 2014. The government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has taken a hardline stance against illegal fishing, partly driven by the need for Indonesia to show its neighbours, including China, that it is in control of its vast territory of 17,000 islands.
Many of the boats were captured off Indonesia’s Natuna Islands, a point from which Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone thrusts into the South China Sea. Beijing has described the area as a traditional Chinese fishing ground even though it is nearly 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) from the Chinese mainland.