Indonesia suspends joint patrol with Australia after fishing boats burnt - Sydney Morning Herald

Singapore: Indonesia has suspended a joint maritime patrol with the Australian Border Force on the eve of a visit to Jakarta by Foreign Minister Marise Payne after the burning of three Indonesian fishing boats off the north-west coast of Australia.

Payne is due to fly into Jakarta on Wednesday for meetings aimed at settling Indonesian anxiety about Australia’s plans to acquire a nuclear-powered fleet of submarines as part of the new AUKUS agreement with the United States and United Kingdom.

She will arrive days after the ABF released photographs of vessels that had been seized in an operation late last month near Rowley Shoals, about 260 kilometres west of Broome, as part of a crackdown against illegal fishing operations.

The ABF said 16 vessels that were fishing illegally in the area had been intercepted, with three destroyed and the others escorted out of Australian waters.

Indonesian authorities have reacted to the incident, however, by putting on hold a joint maritime patrol with Australia while they seek an explanation.

“This is a response to the developments that had happened. The Jawline-Arafura joint patrol is postponed,” said Rear Admiral Adin Nurawaluddin, the Director-General of Indonesia’s Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision in a statement.

Australian authorities seized fishing equipment and 630 kilograms of sea cucumber in the raids.