SONGKHLA - Two Vietnamese trawlers were seized and 11 crew members arrested off this southern border province for illegally trawling sea cucumbers in Thai waters.
A marine police team spotted the two trawlers illegally fishing in Thai waters about 42 nautical mile off Songkhla navigation floating light on Thursday.
Upon seeing patrol vessels, the two trawlers sped off, prompting the marine police team to give chase. The officers took about one hour to intercept them, said Pol Col Poramet Phoeynok, superintendent of Sub-Division 7 of the Marine Police Division.
Eleven crew members were arrested and the two trawlers seized. All were handed over to Songkhla’s Muang district police station for legal action.
The operation came after Thai fishermen alerted marine officers that they had noticed two foreign vessels illegally fishing in Thai waters.
A marine police patrol vessel gives chase to two Vietnamese fishing trawlers in Songkhla waters on Thursday. (Photo supplied/Assawin Pakkawan)