Indonesia, Vietnam Boats Clash in S. China Sea

Indonesian and Vietnamese vessels have clashed in the  South China Sea after the Indonesian coastguard briefly captured fishing boats allegedly operating illegally in its waters, an official said Tuesday.

The world's biggest archipelago nation has been trying to stop foreign vessels fishing in its territory without permission and has embarked on a campaign of publicly blowing up captured foreign boats.

Jakarta has detained 11 Vietnamese sailors following the confrontation around Indonesia's Natuna Islands, while one member of its own coastguard is being held by Hanoi.

The Indonesian coastguard Sunday spotted five Vietnamese trawlers fishing in the exclusive economic zone around the islands, on the fringes of the South China Sea, said senior Indonesian fisheries ministry official Rifky Effendi Hardijanto.

They detained the fishing boats but a Vietnamese coastguard boat appeared and demanded they be released, before ramming the trawlers in a bid to free them.

The fishing boats managed to escape but one sank during the confrontation. Most of the Vietnamese fishermen escaped by jumping into the sea, Hardijanto said.

"We (Indonesia and Vietnam) have agreed to resolve the incident through diplomatic channels and will work hard so similar incidents won't happen again," Hardijanto said.

There have been repeated clashes between Chinese and Indonesian vessels around the Natunas recently.

Beijing claims nearly all of the resource-rich South China Sea -- through which $5 trillion in trade passes annually -- despite partial counter-claims from Taiwan and several ASEAN members.

Indonesia maintains it has no maritime disputes with China in the South China Sea and does not contest ownership of reefs or islets there. But Beijing's claims overlap Indonesia's exclusive economic zone around the Natunas.