Editorial: Explaining Indonesia’s ‘Sink The Vessels’ Policy Under Jokowi

By Prashanth Parameswaran

Jakarta’s policy of sinking illegal vessels looks set to continue despite lingering concerns.

Last Friday, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putrajaya, confirmed reports that a Malaysian-flagged vessel was sunk by Indonesian authorities.

The boat was the latest casualty of Indonesia’s new policy of publicly sinking illegal fishing vessels operating in its waters under president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo – what some have dubbed the “sink the vessels” policy. Since coming to power last October, Jokowi has vowed to toughen Indonesia’s approach as part of his broader vision of turning the country into a “global maritime fulcrum” between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

In Jokowi’s view, Jakarta can no longer tolerate a situation where over 5,000 ships operate illegally in its waters every day, making a mockery out of Indonesian sovereignty and resulting in annual losses of over $20 billion. Over the past month or so, his administration has sunk vessels from Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, seized dozens more and even suggested that the approach could be extended to include larger nations like China. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat