Vietnamese fishing trawlers apprehended in Thai waters
A total of 54 crew members on seven Vietnamese fishing trawlers were arrested yesterday after they intruded into Thai waters in a hunt for sea snakes and squid off Koh Juang in Chon Buri's Sattahip district.
First Naval Area Command deputy chief of staff, Captain Samreung Janso, said the trawlers – identified as CM 99518 TS , CM 91550 TS , CM 91551 TS , CM 91718 TS , CM 91685 TS , CM 91360 TS , CM 99833 TS – were found to contain hundreds of sea snakes along with some squid and were towed to the Royal Thai Fleet’s pier for Sattahip police to proceed with legal action.
Samreung said 60 Vietnamese trawlers have been caught so far for intruding into Thai waters. He said they hunted for sea snakes to export to China at the lucrative price of Bt500-Bt1,000 per snake, while some hunt for squid, as dried squid could be sold at Bt800-Bt1,000 per kilo.
