Vietnamese fishermen arrested off Narathiwat
NARATHIWAT: Eleven Vietnamese fishermen were detained and charged yesterday for allegedly fishing illegally in Thai waters, and their two boats were seized.
Marine police were alerted to the two unidentified fishing boats in Thai waters about 20 nautical miles off Narathiwat which were allegedly catching fish when authorities arrived, said a source.
Two of the 11 suspects detained were identified as Bo Tan Dat, 34, and Veng Yang Viang, 34. They were in charge of running the two boats, said the source. Both later admitted to police they intentionally painted the boats to make them look like Malaysian fishing trawlers in order to deceive Thai authorities while they fished illegally. The source added they had confessed to previously fishing in Thai waters off Narathiwat.
They said the waters off Narathiwat held a lucrative catch, such as sea cucumbers, but they had to drag the sea bed to get them, said the source.
The two suspects added that sea cucumbers from Thai waters were a delicacy in China. The suspects told police the products were in high demand by Vietnam’s seafood exporters.
Pol Maj Gen Nathapong Takaeo, the superintendent of Marine Police Station 3, said the 11 Vietnamese fishermen had been charged with illegal entry and fishing in Thai waters without permission.
A fishery official said Vietnamese operators often disguised their fishing boats to look like Malaysian vessels because Thailand shares territorial waters with Malaysia.
It was also believed that Vietnamese boats fished in Malaysia’s territorial waters.