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| Chinese Fishing Boat Fleet |
By Olivia Rondonuwu
China called on Indonesia Monday to release the crew of a Chinese fishing boat detained during a maritime confrontation, as Jakarta lodged a furious protest in the escalating row.
The incident happened Saturday as Indonesian surveillance vessels tried to detain the trawler suspected of operating illegally near Indonesian islands in the South China Sea.
After stopping the boat and removing eight crew members, the Indonesians were towing the vessel to shore when the Chinese coastguard appeared and rammed into the detained boat, helping to release it.
However, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying insisted Monday that the area near Indonesia's Natuna Islands was a "traditional Chinese fishing ground", and that the Chinese boat had to be rescued by coastguards after facing harassment from an Indonesian vessel.
Read the full story at SpaceDaily