China Anger After Indonesian Navy Fires On Vessel

SINO DAILY

The incident took place Monday when the KRI Tanjung Dalpele came upon four boats believed to be illegally fishing in the Arafura Sea between Indonesia's Papua and Maluku provinces, the Indonesian navy said.

Beijing (AFP) Sep 22, 2005
China said Thursday it was "astonished and strongly dissatisfied" after an Indonesian warship opened fire on a Chinese fishing boat, killing a crewman and wounding two others.

"We have made solemn representations to the Indonesian side, expecting it to inform us of the latest developments," an official at the Chinese embassy in Jakarta, Yu Hongyao, told the China Daily.

Yu said the Chinese government was "astonished and strongly dissatisfied" with the actions of the Indonesian navy.

Three of the ships fled. The navy vessel hailed the fourth one, MV FuYuan 123, which was flying the Chinese flag, the navy said.

Captain Melis from the Indonesian Eastern Fleet Navy information office in Surabaya, East Java, said standard procedures were followed.

He said that after the boat ignored calls to halt, three shots were fired into the air before the gun was fired at the side of the Chinese vessel, which suddenly veered as if trying to collide with the warship.

The China Daily said 13 shots were fired.

The damaged ship and its remaining 13 crew members are in detention at a naval base in Merauke on the southeastern coast of easternmost Papua province.

"We're informed that the health of the detained crew members is OK, and we have asked the Indonesian side to treat them humanely," Yu was quoted as saying.

Eastern Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Didik Heru Purnomo said the Chinese ship was guilty of multiple violations, Indonesia's state Antara news agency reported.

The ship was operating an outlawed type of trawl with an expired fishing permit and an incomplete seamens' book, he said. The name of the captain was different from that in the ship's official documents, he added.

The navy first hailed the Chinese ship Monday at 8:21 am and it was not hit by gunfire until more than five hours later at 1:42 pm, Purnomo said.

"Seen from the process leading up to the shot that caused the death of the crew member, it took a quite a long time. All the procedures had been followed," Purnomo said.

The Indonesian navy has been seeking to crack down on illegal foreign fishermen.

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SINO DAILY

12 Killed In Illegal China Mine As Five Mine Bosses Arrested

Beijing (AFP) Sep 20, 2005
Twelve miners were killed in a mine blast that resulted in the arrest of five mine owners who tried to cover up the accident in northwestern China's Shaanxi province, state press reported Tuesday.

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