Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang's Comment on the Incident of Indonesian Navy Shelling Chinese Fishing Vessel
2005/09/23

Q: It is reported that an Indonesian navy warship shelled a Chinese fishing vessel, killing one crew member and injuring two others. What comment does the Chinese side have?

A: On September 19, the Indonesian navy chased and fired at the Chinese fishing vessel "Fuyuanyu 132" in the Indonesian waters (8'57''S, 137'17''E), killing one crew member and wounding two others. Ten crew members including the wounded are still detained by the Indonesian navy.

Immediately after the incident occurred, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese Embassy in Indonesia lodged solemn representations to the Indonesian side and expressed shock and strong dissatisfaction at Indonesian navy's inhumane way of law enforcement. China demanded that the Indonesian side should find out the truth as quickly as possible and keep China informed. Meanwhile, the Indonesian side should take every necessary measure to aid and treat those wounded and guarantee the safety of other crew members. China is closely following the development of the incident and will make further representations to the Indonesian side.

The Chinese side believes that, as China and Indonesia are friendly countries, the two sides should deal with problems in fishing cooperation with a sober and restrained attitude rather than resorting to the use of force at will. China hopes the Indonesian government could take effective measures to discipline its navy and relevant units, avoid arbitrary use of force in the course of law enforcement and guarantee that no more incidents of this kind will occur in the future.