SONGKHLA: Two Vietnamese trawlers with 11 crewmen on board were detained on Saturday for illegally fishing in Thai territorial waters, marine police said.
Police received a report that two unidentified fishing boats had been spotted fishing in the sea about 69 nautical miles east of Songkhla in the Thai exclusive economic zone. Pol Maj Gen Prutipong Nuchanart, the marine police commander of Songkhla, dispatched two patrol boats to investigate.
At about 6pm on Saturday, the two patrol boats, commanded by Pol Lt Col Saranwit Thiravech, chief investigator of the 7th Marine Police Sub-division, found the two fishing boats in the area and seized them. They were found to be Vietnamese trawlers with 11 crewmen of the same nationality.
The two boats and the crewmen were brought to the marine police pier in Songkhla on Sunday.
The crewmen were handed over to Muang police station for legal proceedings on charges of illegally fishing in Thai territorial waters and violating the Immigration Act.