A source from Kawthaung province, Myanmar, reported Monday on the verdict of the Kawthaung Provincial Court in the case of four Thai members of a fishing-boat crew who were detained by a Myanmar military vessel along with 27 Myanmar crew members.
The fishing boat was seized near Koh Yan Chueak in Kawthaung province on November 30 while fishing in overlapping maritime areas between the two countries.
The court sentenced the boat owner to five years in prison for illegal fishing in Myanmar waters without authorisation, and an additional one year for illegal entry to the country, totalling six years of imprisonment, along with a fine of 200,000 kyats (about 3,200 baht).
As for the other three Thais, the court sentenced each of them to three years in prison for unauthorised fishing and one additional year for illegal entry, resulting in a total of four years of imprisonment for each, along with a fine of 30,000 kyats per person.
The court subsequently handed down a suspended sentence to all four Thai nationals, as they had pleaded guilty. It is expected that they will be deported back to Thailand in early January.
On November 30, a Myanmar warship opened fire on three Thai fishing vessels operating in Thai waters, resulting in the death of one crew member and the capture of 31 others.
Reports indicate that the vessels were fishing around 20 kilometres west of Koh Phayam when they were approached by Myanmar boats, prompting the Thai fishermen to attempt an escape by cutting their nets and accelerating their engines.
Initial information from local authorities indicated that two Thai fishing boats, “Ranong 333” and “Charoenchai 8”, were taken into Myanmar waters, while two crew members from the “Mahalapthanawat 4” sustained injuries, one due to gunfire from the Myanmar vessel and another from electrocution.
Reports indicate that members of the “Ranong 333” crew jumped overboard to escape the gunfire; one of them drowned.
As of now, 31 crew members, comprising four Thais and 27 Burmese, have been detained by Myanmar authorities .
The Thai government formally protested to Myanmar over the violent actions against an unarmed fishing vessel.
Initially, Thai officials said Myanmar would expedite the release of the Thai nationals. However, news later emerged that the Myanmar court had sentenced all four Thai crew members to prison.