Vietnamese fishing vessels seized for trespassing Thai sea

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, THAILAND, December 18 (TNA) - Two Vietnamese fishing boats have been seized for illegally entering into the Thai territorial waters and all their 11 crew members have been arrested. Naval officers on board HTMS Klong Yai of Thailand's Second Navy Area Command intercepted the two Vietnamese fishing boats near Koh Kra in the Gulf of Thailand off the southern Nakhon Si Thammarat Province some hours before dawn on December 18. A total of 11 crew members of the two Vietnamese fishing vessels were also nabbed while illegally catching sea cucumbers in the Thai sea. The seizure of the two Vietnamese fishing boats followed a tip-off provided by a club of local Thai fishing boats, prompting Chief of the Second Navy Area Command Vice Admiral Pornchai Pinthong to order HTMS Klong Yai to inspect the situation and seized the two trespassing Vietnamese fishing vessels and their crew members. The two seized fishing boats were later docked at a naval base in nearby Songkhla Province, while all their crew members were charged with illegal entry into the Thai marine territory and violation of Thai fishing law and were sent to Songkhla's police station for prosecution and deportation to their home country through the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok. According to official statistics released by the Second Navy Area Command, almost 100 illegal Vietnamese fishing vessels have been nabbed, most of which trespassing into Thai waters to catch sea cucumbers to be reportedly used to produce herbal medicine believed to help stimulate sexual stamina. (TNA)