SONGKHLA: Two Vietnamese trawlers were seized and 11 crewmen arrested on Thursday for illegally fishing in Thai waters in the Gulf of Thailand.
Members of the Songkhla Marine Fisheries Suppression and Protection Centre posing as crewmen on the undercover patrol vessel Poseidon spotted the boats fishing illegally about 120 nautical miles off the Songkhla coast.
The team then moved in to seize the two trawlers and arrest all 11 Vietnamese crewmen. The two vessels and their crews were taken to the Port-In Port-Out Control Centre (PIPO) in Songkhla.
Thursday's seizures follow the capture on Aug 20 of two Vietnamese fishing vessels in Thai waters with destructive drag-nets, and arrest of their 12 crewmembers.
Charoen Omanee, director of the suppression centre, said the Fisheries Department and the 2nd Naval Area were working closely to end illegal fishing by foreign boats in Thai waters.,
Four Vietnamese trawlers had been seized in this month alone.
Patrols were being made continuously to protect the country’s still abundant marine resources in the Gulf of Thailand, Mr Charoen said.
The 11 Vietnamese trawler crewmen, being held at the Port-In Port-Out Control Centre in Songkhla for interrogation and legal action. (Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)