Indonesia has denied resorting to the use of force in a maritime standoff with Vietnamese vessels over the weekend, after authorities from the neighboring country accused the Indonesian Navy of shooting and wounding four of its fishermen in the South China Sea.

While the interception was confirmed by several Indonesian Military officials on Monday, the Indonesians insist no one was injured during the incident.

Lt. Col. Johan Wahyudi, the commander of the Tarempa naval base in the Riau Islands, said the Indonesian patrol vessel Sutanto had pursued a Vietnamese boat it suspected of illegally fishing in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) north of the Natuna islands.

“The [Vietnamese] boat immediately stopped after we fired warning shots in the air. We approached it and then proceeded to inspect the 12 crew members on board before towing the vessel back to the Tarempa base,” Johan told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Johan said that warning shots across the bows of the vessel would have constituted a serious warning, but he said that no such action was taken. “If Vietnam is still unsure [of the circumstances], they are welcome to inspect us at Tarempa base.”

Earlier on Monday, Reuters quoted information from the provincial search and rescue committee of Vietnam’s Binh Dinh province alleging that a standoff had taken place on Saturday night, 132 nautical miles (245 kilometers) southeast of its Con Dao island.

The Vietnamese said two of their fishermen had been seriously wounded by Indonesian naval forces, after which they were taken to Con Dao for treatment.

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