August 16, 2016 โ Indonesia will cap Wednesdayโs Independence Day celebrations by scuttling as many as 71 impounded foreign vessels โ mostly Vietnamese but also a handful of Chinese โ to signal its determination to protect its sovereignty over lucrative fishing grounds in the South China Sea.
The destruction of the boats comes amid simmering regional tensions over territorial disputes in the water. Former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said the main challenge facing the country was to ensure the message wasnโt misinterpreted.
Natalegawa said the signal has to be conveyed that Indonesia is determined to protect its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. โBut some of the risk in our region nowadays is precisely the risk of misperception, miscalculation, minor incidents becoming bigger crises,โ he said in a telephone interview last week. โThe region as a whole should not lose the habit of open dialogue and diplomatic communication.โ
Since the end of 2014, Indonesia has destroyed more than 170 foreign vessels from various nations as it has tried to fend off Chinese claims that waters surrounding the Natuna Islands are part of traditional Chinese fishing grounds.
In June, President Joko Widodo held a cabinet meeting on the KRI Imam Bonjol, a warship that patrols the waters, and last month Indonesiaโs popular Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said she wanted to โcelebrate Independence Day this year in Natuna, where I will witness the sinking of many foreign vessels,โ later declaring that only Indonesians โcan catch fish in Indonesia.โ