Croatian ship stormed: Indonesia

Indonesian navy says it has stormed a Croatian ship with 25 crew members on board.

"We are asking the Foreign Ministry to explain what happened," said Croatian Ambassador Aleksander Broz, adding that the ship's owner is considering bringing Indonesia to an international maritime court.

The privately owned Croatian vessel has been involved in a lengthy legal battle with Indonesian officials since August 2004, when it was accused of using improper travel documents.

The East Java High Court ruled in favor of the company in May and ordered the navy to escort it to international waters, but local authorities prevented it from leaving, Broz said.

On Tuesday, 200 armed navy personal and police stormed the vessel and seized the 25 Croatian crew members, officials and witnesses said.

A navy spokesman said it was acting on orders from prosecutors who claimed the vessel was carrying illegal logs.

"This ship was free to sale on May 6," Broz was quoted by the AP as saying. "From my standpoint every thing that has happened since that point is illegal."