The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) announced the seizure of a Vietnamese fishing boat and its crew today, for illegally fishing in Thailand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Gulf of Thailand.
Vice Admiral Arpa Chapanon, head of the First Region Marine Resources Protection Centre, told a media conference that the skipper of the Vietnamese vessel rammed the RTN’s HMS Thepa as it tried to escape.
He also said that Thai naval officers fired their M16 assault rifles into the air, to force Vietnamese fishing boats to stop, which is an internationally accepted practice under such circumstances.
He disclosed that the RTN had been monitoring the movement of a fleet of 10 Vietnamese fishing vessels in the Thai EEZ, and in the area of overlapping claims by Thailand and Cambodia, since February 22, adding that the fleet consists of trawlers and a boat equipped with lighting to attract squid.
The fleet usually operates at night and leaves the prohibited area at sunrise, only to return the next night, said the vice admiral.
Earlier this week, the RTN dispatched HMS Thepa and a patrol boat to intercept the Vietnamese fleet, using aerial support to pinpoint the targets.
The two naval vessels began chasing the intruders at 4am, after the aircraft sighted them. All except one vessel managed to escape.
The four captured Vietnamese crew members were taken to Khlong Yai district police in Trat province to face charges, after their vessel was towed to shore.
