Cambodia seize two Vietnamese fishing boats
PHNOM PENH - Cambodian authorities have for the
first time seized Vietnamese fishing
boats and their crew after they were
caught fishing in Cambodian waters,
a Cambodian navy official said on
Saturday.
Two Vietnamese fishing boats and a
total of 27 fishermen were seized
near the Cambodian island of Koh
Tang, 55 km (35 miles) southwest of
the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville,
the official told Reuters.
``This is the first time ever that we
arrested Vietnamese fishermen who
encroached to fish in Cambodian
waters,'' said Chhum Savuth, the
deputy chief of a naval task force
responsible for protecting
Cambodian waters from foreign
fishermen.
Chhum Savuth said the two
Vietnamese boats were seized in
Cambodian waters. ``This is our
area. They encroached two miles
into our waters,'' he said.
Cambodia and Vietnam have
overlapping claims in parts of the
Gulf of Thailand.
He said negotiations were under way
with Vietnamese officials for the
return of the boats and their crew,
seized on June 11. Cambodia often
complains that Thai and Vietnamese
fishing boats encroach into its waters
and officials say the country's tiny
navy is hard-pressed to stop the
violations.
REUTERS - June 19, 1999
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