Indonesian navy officials detained a Chinese boat along with seven Chinese crew members for allegedly fishing in Indonesian maritime territory in the disputed South China Sea region, Ap reported quoting Indonesia's navy spokesman.
The Indonesian warship KRI Imam Bonjol-383 responded to a report from maritime air surveillance officials that 12 foreign fishing boats were illegally working in the Natuna Sea, First Admiral Edi Sucipto said.
The navy's warships spotted the China-flagged Yueyandong Yu 19038 fishing boat in Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) during a naval exercise on Friday.
An EEZ is a zone extending 200 nautical miles from shore over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“When approached by our warship, the foreign fishing boats manoeuvred and escaped,” Edi said. The warship chased after them and fired a warning shot, but the boats ignored it.
After being stopped and checked by Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) team it was found that seven crew members of the Chinese boat including one woman were Chinese citizens.
"They have been detained at Ranai naval base for further process," he said.
This is the second big fishing spat between the two countries in recent days. In March, Indonesia arrested eight Chinese fishermen for allegedly intruding on the Natuna Islands.
The Indonesian government then defied China's call to free the Chinese prisoners and vowed to prosecute them under Indonesian law.