Fact Check: Indonesia destroys Chinese boats over illegal fishing? No, video is 9 years old
A video is viral on social media with the claim that it shows Indonesia destroying Chinese fishing boats for illegally fishing in its waters.
By - K Sherly Sharon
Claim:The video shows Indonesia destroying Chinese vessels for illegal fishing in Indonesian waters recently.
Fact:The claim is misleading. The video is 9 years old, and it shows Indonesian authorities destroying 31 illegal fishing vessels from various countries.
Hyderabad: A video showing an explosion on a boat in the middle of a water body has gone viral. Those sharing the video claim it shows Indonesia destroying Chinese vessels for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters.
The text on the video reads, “Indonesian fishing boats… 31 illegal boats were sank across the country”.
Sharing the video on X, a user wrote, “#Indonesia destroyed Chinese vessels for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters. Now, China must realise that ‘OUR actions will be the consequence of CHINA's actions.’ If China dares to harass our people in our waters, it should be prepared for similar treatment.” (Archive)
Post making the same claim can be seen here. (Archive)
News reports have also shared screenshots from the video while talking about the incident.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the viral claim is false. The video is 9 years old and it shows Indonesian authorities destroying illegal fishing boats from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar, among others.
Keyword searches did not yield any news coverage using visuals from the viral video, stating that Indonesia has destroyed Chinese boats for illegally fishing in its waters.
A reverse image search of the viral video led us to the same footage shared by TRTWorld on February 22, 2016, with the title ‘31 illegal fishing boats sank across Indonesia’.
This YouTube video is a 22-second news report. Before the viral video is shown, the news reporter is heard saying, “The Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs has demolished 31 illegal fishing boats. The vessels originally from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar were blown up at five different locations across the country. The move is part of an ongoing campaign against illegal fishing.”
International news outlets such as RTS, Global News and YTN have shared the viral video with the same information.
According to the reports, the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries announced that 31 illegal fishing vessels were destroyed on February 22, 2016. The boats were empty at the time of the destruction. Three of them were from Vietnam and seven others from Malaysia.
The authorities also destroyed four Indonesian boats that did not have proper documentation. Indonesia had previously destroyed 151 illegal fishing vessels across the archipelago.
Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is misleading. The video is old and shows Indonesian authorities destroying 31 illegal fishing vessels from various countries.
