Thai PM suggests peaceful talks with Vietnam on illegal fishing

BANGKOK, July 13 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has suggested that concerned Vietnamese and Thai parties jointly hold talks on a peaceful solution to illegal fishing by Vietnamese vessels. The Thai premier's remarks on July 12 were in response to a latest report he had received from the Navy Area Command, Region 2, on Thai navy officers' capture and seizure of a Vietnamese fishing vessel trespassing into the Thai waters although there were no official report on casualties. The Thai prime minister said peaceful dialogues should help prevent conflicts between the two fellow countries in the ASEAN Community (AC). The Thai leader stressed, however, that the case, in which the Vietnamese illegal trawlers will be prosecuted by Songkhla Court in the Thai Far South, is to be based on the Thai justice system. Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters, after returning from his visit to Vietnam, that Vietnamese and Thai navies have always coordinated well through dialogues and joint marine patrols, as well as the utilisation of technologies and equipment for mutual benefits. The minister acknowledged that illegal fishing through marine territorial tresspasses in the region has persisted for over 20 years, but he believed the issue should not become a serious problem if all parties concerned are determined to jointly solve the problem. The minister proposed that the Vietnamese and Thai navies work together more closely to help relieve the problem. (TNA)