Royal Thai Navy Hooks Thai Crabbing Boat with Fishy Crew

Published on July 19 2012 by John

oyal Navy Hooks Thai Crabbing Boat with Fishy Crew

A Royal Thai Navy vessel seized a crab-fishing boat in Bang Sarey Bay with illegal Cambodian crewmembers who had been smuggled into Thailand. The men had been working for two years on fishing boats around Koh Larn.

SATTAHIP – July 17, 2012 [PDN]; At 3:30 p.m., Vice Admiral Choomphol Vongvekin, commissioner navy section 1, coordinated with a group of fisherman in area of Tambon Bang Sarey, Amphur Sattahip, Chonburi province, to investigate a crab seine fishing boat in Bang Saray Bay. The boat’s shipmaster and crew were reported to be Cambodian nationals. So he commanded Lieutenant Pandech Sangsillert, the commander of Chaophraya royal boat, to bring boat 211 from Laemtheanport, Sattahip naval base to find the targeted ship.

The Chaophraya royal boat later found the targeted ship, named 3 Preawthara, colored blue and orange, size 12 wah, floating approximately 1.4 sea miles from the beach. The officer restrained the ship to inspect the vessel, where he found the master of ship, Mr. Teng Tuan, 28, was Cambodian, along with five Cambodian crewmembers who did not have passports. So the officer seized the ship and restrained the people aboard to investigate.

During later questioning, Mr. Teng said that he and the crew had travelled from Nakorn Wat, Cambodia with the help of a Thai agent, and had to pay the agent 3,000 THB per person to smuggle them into Thailand via the border of Amphur Aranyaprathet.

The Cambodians then worked as boat crew members in Koh Lan, Tambon Na Kleu, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province, for more than 2 years. At first Mr. Teng was only a crew member, but he was promoted to master of ship when the previous master, a Thai man, had problems with the ship’s owner, Mr. Vithoon Poomma, 53, at address163/3 Moo 7 Koh Lan, Tambon Na Kleu, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province, until he was arrested by the navy.

Vice Admiral Choomphol Vongvekin said after his investigation that the Cambodian shipmaster and crewmen had escaped into Thailand illegally and thus violating the fishery act that allows a foreigner to be the controller of the ship, which impacts the stability of the country. He charged the ship’s owner, Mr. Vithoon Poomma with an accusation of harboring foreign workers illegally and violating the fishery act; and charged the master of ship and the crew members with illegally escaping into Thailand.

The seized ship and all the defendants were sent to the care of Pol. Lt. Thanasak Prasartthong, investigating officer on duty, Sattahip police station, to prosecute further according to the law.