Sinking of fishing boat 'brutal'

Argentina's coast guard said on Tuesday it sank a Chinese trawler that was fishing illegally in its exclusive economic zone a day after the boat refused to let coast guard personnel aboard for inspection, attempted to flee to international waters and performed maneuvers designed to force a collision with the coast guard. Four of the crew members of the fishing boat were rescued by the Argentine coast guard and the remaining 28 were rescued by another Chinese fishing boat nearby.

If what the Argentine Naval Prefecture said in its statement are the facts, the Chinese boat was the first to do "something wrong". But such kind of alleged mistakes do not constitute a justification to sink it, an act that endangered the lives of those on board and one rarely seen in international law enforcement.

It is hoped all the charges that have been filed against the crew of the Chinese fishing boat are based on credible evidence.