By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE FOUR THAI fishermen were not yet released today (Dec. 4) from prison in Myanmar’s Kawthaung township across the shared border from Ranong, police said.
The Thai crewmembers of trawlers who had been arrested on maritime infringement charges by Myanmar authorities in the southern border township on Nov. 30 and detained in the Myanmar southern township had been earlier anticipated to be freed today, which marked Myanmar’s Independence Day, according to Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
However, Phumtham said today those Thai fishermen would likely be freed from detention “sooner than later” from Kawthaung but declined to forecast the exact date of their release.
He said relatives of those Thais had visited them and quoted those relatives as saying they had been detained safely and had good health behind bars in the Myanmar border township.
The four Thai detainees were among a total of 31 crewmembers, mostly being Myanmar migrant workers, hired aboard Thai trawlers which the Myanmar navy had accused of trespassing their territorial waters in the Andaman Sea off Kawthaung.
Myanmar navy patrol sailors had opened gunfire at the fishing boats, prompting one of the crewmembers to jump overboard and drown in the sea whilst a Thai skipper was injured with a bullet literally scratching his head.
Meanwhile, a total of 151 Thai nationals who had been arrested by Myanmar authorities and detained in Tachileik township across the common border from Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district were released today, police said.
Those Thais had been reportedly lured into illegally working for call-centre scams based in the border township of Myanmar’s Shan State.
CAPTIONS:
Top: The Thai trawler captured by Myanmar. Photo: Thai Rath
Insert: Pixelated image of the four Thai fishermen still jailed in Myanmar. Photo: Naewna
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