Three Malaysian fishing trawlers have been seized and 12 Thai crewmen and boat skippers arrested for fishing illegally in the Thai waters off Satun province.
Vice Adm Sayan Prasongsamret, commander of the Third Navy Area, on Saturday announced the seizure of the three Malaysian fishing vessels and the arrest of the 12 Thai men — three boat skippers and nine crewmen.
They have been charged with violating the 1939 Fishing Rights Act regarding the use of foreign-flagged vessels to fish in Thai waters.
The arrests came after a navy offshore patrol vehicle spotted the three Malaysian trawlers 11 nautical miles off Koh Tarutao in this southern province on Thursday evening, said the admiral during a news briefing.
The three trawlers each had one skipper and three crewmen.
The skippers were identified as Chit Ponsakdet, 67, Romlee Sakata, 50 and Khemporn Porsri, 54, all natives of Satun.
The seized trawlers, equipped with seine nets, as well as the skippers and the crew members were handed over to Koh Lipe police station for legal action.
The Third Navy Area urged people to alert authorities via the hotline 1696 around the clock if they found trawlers fishing illegally or had information about fishing violations.