THAILAND is moving to protest three Myanmar warships attacking around 50 Thai fishing boats that had set sail from Ranong soon after midnight today (Nov. 30) leading to two fishermen having died, two injured and two more missing while one boat with 31 fishermen was captured, Naewna newspaper said.
Maj. Gen. Thanathip Sawangsaeng, the Defence Ministry’s spokesman, said in Chiang Mai that a protest would be lodged through the Foreign Ministry and The Border Consortium (TBC) as to whether they had overreacted.
Initially TBC will be asked to tell Myanmar to send the seized boat and 31 fishermen back to Thailand within one to two days.
After this attack the Thai navy sent out patrol boats to maintain peace and order and ensure the safety of fishing boats in Thai waters. In addition, the Marine Police Centre was ordered to warn fishing boats not to encroach on Myanmar waters.
According to an initial report the Myanmar warships had shot at the fishing boats but not where the fishing crew had gathered and the deaths occurred from the fishermen having jumped into the sea to escape capture and drowning but the Thai side does not accept this action and will protest through all available channels as to whether they had overreacted.
The 50 Thai fishing boats had set sail with their drag nets from Koh Phayam, Ranong province, but when they switched the lights on they saw three Myanmar warships which started shooting at them. This led to two deaths, a Thai and a Myanmar national, two missing and two injured, both Myanmar nationals.
The Myanmar warships then seized one fishing boat with 31 crew.
News of the attack was received at 00.45 a.m. after a fishing boat named Mahalap Thanawat 4 requested assistance as water was flowing in after it had been shot at with two people also injured.
At 1.15 a.m. one of three Myanmar warships seized the Thai fishing boat named S Charoenchai 8 with 31 crew and took them to Myanmar’s Yan Cheuk Island.
At 3.42 a.m. it was learnt that the captured boat and crew will be taken to Myanmar’s Koh Song fishing station in around two days’ time.
The crew of Duang Tawiphon 333 all jumped into the sea to escape capture with the total number unknown. Thai navy patrol boat TOR 274 rescued most of them but four or five are missing.
The Thai-Myanmar Border Fishery Coordination Centre contacted Myanmar to follow up on the situation and the Myanmar side confirmed the capture of the Thai fishing boat because 15 of them had violated their territorial waters, encroaching about 4 – 5.7 nautical miles.
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Scenes from the attack of Thai fishing boats by three Myanmar warships. Photos: Naewna
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