Indonesian warships have detained a Chinese trawler allegedly operating illegally in Indonesian waters, just weeks after a confrontation between vessels from the two countries stoked tensions, the Southeast Asian nation said on Sunday. The trawler was intercepted by two navy ships on Friday after receiving information that a ship wanted by Interpol in Argentina had been spotted in Aceh, in the northwest of Sumatra, navy spokesman Edi Sucipto said. The boat has been taken to a naval base in Belawan, North Sumatra for investigation. “We are currently questioning the crew to find out more about the case,” Sucipto said, adding that one of them had a gunshot wound to his leg. “It was not our officers who shot him; he was probably shot by the Argentinian authorities,” he said. The Chinese trawler was previously reported to have been fishing illegally in Argentine waters in late February. Chinese fishermen held by Argentina head home Argentinian forces in March opened fire on and a sank a Chinese boat illegally fishing in the South Atlantic after it tried to ram a coastguard vessel. Indonesian media reported that the Chinese trawler Hua Li-8 was wanted by Interpol in Argentina for illegal fishing and “illegal trade” earlier this year. Indonesia in 2014 launched a tough crackdown on illegal fishing which involves sinking foreign vessels caught fishing without a permit after impounding the boats and removing the crews. Its foreign minister protested to Beijing after the Chinese coastguard last month stopped an Indonesian patrol boat from detaining a Chinese trawler. Beijing also voiced concern last year after Indonesia destroyed an impounded Chinese fishing vessel. Last month, about 100 China-registered boats were detected encroaching into Malaysian waters near the Luconia Shoals in the South China Sea. China’s fishing boats have sailed into international waters as its appetite for seafood soars and catches plummet in waters closer to home due to pollution and overfishing.
