Rowing on the Same Boat: A Constructivist Approach to Indonesia-Vietnam Relations Under the “Sink the Vessels” Policy

Abstract

Under the “Sink the Vessels” policy exercised by President Jokowi administration—a firm policy to fight uncontrollable illegal fishing in Indonesian waters, the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Vietnam under challenging conditions. Decisive action by Indonesia by detonating captured Vietnamese fishing vessels; had caused several clashes and incidents between Indonesian authorities and Vietnamese coast guards. However, the two countries maintain its friendly relations to address the illegal fishing problem. Why does the "Sink the Vessel" policy from Indonesia to combat illegal fishing do not worsen the Indonesia-Vietnam relationship? This article seeks to understand the nature of the rising tension between Indonesia and Vietnam. We argue that the policy of Indonesia to fight Illegal Fishing did not implicate bilateral relations between two countries because it happened within the security community of Southeast Asia which has nurtured peaceful interaction and rule out the use of force in settling problems between countries.

Keywords:Indonesia, Vietnam, IUU Fishing, Sink the Vessels, Constructivist, Southeast Asia