CHONBURI police said that three seized oil-smuggling boats that went missing from Sattahip bay on Tuesday night (June 11) are believed to be heading for Trat coastal province, which is next to Cambodia, and then sail to neighbouring waters, Naewna newspaper and TV Channel 7 said late last night.
Pol. Lt. Col. Santichon Hume, deputy inspector for investigation at Sattahip police station, said police were informed at 6 a.m. yesterday morning that that three of five boats smuggling contraband oil seized on March 19 had disappeared from the Marine Police pier amid stormy weather and strong winds.
These boats belong to “Sia Joe Pattani”, a big oil smuggling racketeer in the South, with the three missing still holding oil but the other two were without the contraband cargo.
One of the three boats, named J.P., was carrying 80,000 litres of contraband oil and had seven crew members, the second, Sea Hot, held 150,000 litres of contraband oil and had six crew members while the third, Dao Rung, had about 100,000 litres of contraband oil and five crew members.
After a heavy storm hit Chonburi, Marine Police were concerned that Sattahip pier would not be able to hold the weight of the three missing boats so told the crew to move a hundred metres from the shore and drop anchor there.
However at 8.11 p.m. on Tuesday night the lights on the three boats were put out and early yesterday morning they could no longer be seen.
At 8 a.m. two Marine Police boats, numbers 815 and 632, sailed out to search for the missing boats but up to 11 a.m. they could not be found.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, head of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said he has sent his deputy, Pol. Maj. Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of these three oil-smuggling boats and told Marine Police to set up a committee to conduct an investigation and report the results as soon as possible.
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The missing oil-smuggling boats that disappeared from Sattahip Marine Police pier last night. Photos: Naewna
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