Singapore defends ‘appropriate’ interception of Indonesian fishing boats due to incursions

The activity began around 8.45am on December 24. Around 1.20pm, two of five Indonesian fishing boats ventured further into the city state’s waters, prompting the coastguard to intercept them, the statement said.

The fisherman who fell into the sea, Danil Mahadir Van, 18, told CNN Indonesia that Singaporean authorities “chased” the fishing vessels away by surrounding them, but they refused to leave because they believed they were in Indonesian fishing waters.

The Singapore police said they were aware of the video, and subsequent news articles about the incident, but maintained that their officers acted appropriately.

“Police coastguard officers then engaged the fishermen on board the fishing vessels in Singapore territorial waters (STW) and advised them to leave as unauthorised vessels were prohibited from entering the area. They eventually acceded and left STW at about 1.40pm.”