Claim: Last March 29, 2023, the Indonesian Navy reportedly sank 60 Chinese fishing vessels that engaged in illegal fishing in response to Chinese provocations. The sinking of the vessels was part of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s supposed push to turn Indonesia into a “regional maritime power.”
The Facebook video spreading the claim is titled: ”CHINA NAGKAMALI NG BINANGGA! INDONESIA BIGLANG PUMALAG! PINAGBOBOMBA ANG MGA BARKO NG CHINA! LAGOT!” (China made a mistake in choosing who to attack! Indonesia ready to counter! Bombed Chinese ships! Trouble!)
Why we fact-checked this: The video has garnered more than 3.1 million views, 121,000 reactions, and 7,900 comments as of writing.
No recent incident of Indonesia sinking Chinese vessels: It was on August 17, 2016 (on Indonesia’s Independence Day) that the Indonesian Navy sank 60 foreign fishing vessels for illegal fishing in the country’s territorial waters. Contrary to the claim in the video, the fishing vessels were not solely from China.
In May 2015, Indonesia sank 41 fishing vessels from China, Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries after President Widodo announced a crackdown on illegal fishing that costs the Indonesian economy $20 billion annually. Vessels from Thailand and Malaysia have also been sunk by the Indonesian Navy due to the crackdown.
A knack for sinking illegal fishing vessels: From October 2014 to 2020, Indonesia had sunk at least 550 fishing vessels that its Navy captured for illegal fishing.
Due to the breadth of its maritime territory, Indonesia has struggled to fend off illegal fishers. By enthusiastically sinking the vessels it captures, the Indonesian government hopes to deter illegal trawling.