W

ith Jakarta and Beijing seeking to calm maritime tensions near the Natuna Islands, another territorial breach has reportedly occurred with the Indonesian Navy again arresting a Chinese fishing vessel, the Gui Bei Yu 27088, for illegally fishing in the same waters.

The case has called into question the seriousness of China in its ongoing high-profile diplomatic lobbying following revelations that a Chinese coast guard vessel once again tried to block, this time unsuccessfully, the arrest of the Gui Bey Yu by the Indonesian Navy on Friday.

Tensions with China are expected to flare again as the Indonesian Navy vows to move ahead with the prosecution of eight members of the Gui Bei Yu’s crew under the Fisheries Law. Based on preliminary evidence during questioning, it appears that the vessel was fishing in Indonesian territory without a permit.

The incident occurred as the Indonesian Maritime and Fisheries Monitoring Task Force completed the dossiers on eight other Chinese crewmen who were arrested on March 19 on board another Chinese vessel, the Kway Fey 10078.

That ship was subsequently retaken by the Chinese coast guard.

Both maritime incidents took place within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.

“If the evidence is confirmed by Navy investigators then they will hand case dossiers to prosecutors for trial,” the Navy’s Western Region Fleet Command (Koarmabar) spokesman Budi Amin told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The eight Gue Bei Yu crewmen are currently undergoing intensive questioning at a Naval base in Ranai, Natuna Islands, in Riau province.

Koarmabar commander Rear Admiral Achmad Taufiqoerrahman said Friday’s arrest should serve as a warning to the world that the Navy would never tolerate any breach of Indonesian sovereignty by foreign vessels.

“The presence of Koarmabar in those waters is purely to safeguard Indonesian sovereignty as well as to tell the world that they are within the jurisdiction of Indonesia,” Achmad said in a statement, adding that the Koarmabar had seized documents and the catch from the ship as evidence.

It took several shots to stop the Gui Bei Yu in its escape attempt after being caught by the Indonesian destroyer Oswald Siahaan-354, which then blocked a Chinese coast guard vessel from rescuing the Gui Bei Yu.

Unlike the March 19 incident in which larger Chinese coast guard ships managed to recapture the Kway Fey, the Navy won Friday’s standoff because the Oswald Siahaan was as big as the Chinese coast guard ship.

“At first we fired warning shots across the [Gui Bei Yu] but the warning was ignored because of the presence of the Chinese coast guard protecting it, but, undaunted, our men on the Oswald Siahaan pursued it and fired another shot before it was finally stopped and arrested,” said Tanjung Pinang Main Naval Base commander Commodore S. Irawan.

The Chinese Embassy in Jakarta played down the recent discord between the two countries and, significantly, chose not to reiterate Beijing’s previous “historical” claim over the fishing grounds in the EEZ.

“China and Indonesia are friendly neighbors. There is no territorial dispute between our two countries in the South China Sea,” said Xu Hangtian, the political counselor for the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, “The Chinese side is willing to resolve [this] properly through friendly consultation and negotiation with the Indonesian side.”

Jakarta previously accused Beijing of obstructing law enforcement during the March 19 arrest and it took Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan flying to Beijing in April to settle the conflict.

Luhut’s special aide Atmadji Sumarkidjo backed this argument, saying the Navy was right to detain the vessel in accordance with procedures.

“I think Indonesia has never allowed itself to be provoked by such actions because we always remain true to our stance,” said Atmadji.