Naval and other Thai authorities yesterday arrested 108 Vietnamese fishermen aboard 10 foreign trawlers that violated Thailand’s territorial waters in the upper Gulf of Thailand.
The three-day and two-night operation, which started on Thursday, was prompted by complaints filed by Thai fishermen that dozens of Vietnamese trawlers had encroached on Thai waters north of Koh Samet to catch giant cuttlefish.
Royal Navy Vice Admiral Chumphol Wongwekin led the operation in conjunction with five other Thai agencies, encircling the foreign trawlers that were scattered over some 20 nautical miles.
On Friday, Thai authorities, with the help of three warships and two combat helicopters, managed to arrest 108 Vietnamese aboard 10 trawlers, while 10 other foreign vessels managed to escape.
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