The three Taiwanese fishing boats allegedly wanted by the Indonesian government are safe and not in Indonesian waters now.
The Donggang Fishermen’s Association in southern Taiwan made the comments on Saturday after contacting the boats.
The Indonesian government is taking a tougher line against illegal fishing in the country’s territorial waters. So far the Indonesian government has sunk three Vietnamese fishing vessels and seized 22 from China.
On Friday Indonesia’s new minister of marine affairs and fisheries said that four Taiwanese vessels were suspected of fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. He also said they would likely be confiscated if caught and then possibly blown up.
Taiwan’s agriculture council said one of the vessels named was not from Taiwan. The Donggang Fishermen’s Association confirmed that the other three had left Indonesian waters.