The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand would like to present the facts with regard to the arrests of Vietnamese fishing vessels during the 7 – 9 July 2016, as coordinated closely with the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Centre as follows:

         First Incident:

         - On 7 July 2016 at 13.00 hours, a patrol boat of the Second Area, Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Centre, discovered five Vietnamese vessels fishing illegally in Thai waters. The patrol boat approached and seized three vessels along with 30 crew members (including the captains). The other two, however, eluded arrest.

         - Approached by Thai patrol boat, two Vietnamese vessels rammed into the Thai boat, causing damage. However, the Thai officers were able to take control of the situation and transferred all the Vietnamese fishermen onto Thai patrol boat. The Thai side dispatched officers to each of the seized Vietnamese vessels to escort the Vietnamese vessels, along with the captain, back to the Thai coast for relevant legal proceedings.

         - However, en route back to the Thai coast, two of the three vessels were found to be leaking and increasingly inundated by sea water. A Thai technician officer was dispatched to repair both vessels but could neither prevent the leaks nor pump water out. Consequently, the Thai patrol officers evacuated all the Vietnamese captains and the Thai officers on board Vietnamese vessels onto the Thai patrol boat. During the proceeding, one of the three Vietnamese captains decided to escape arrest and jump onto one of the sinking vessels. Having caught under heavy storms and 1.5 metres high sea waves, the Thai patrol boat was forced to leave for the safety of both Thai officers and Vietnamese crews on board. During the return journey, Vietnamese crews were provided with food and drinking water.

         - Afterwards, a rescue team from the Second Area, Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Centre consisting of a patrol boat and a helicopter were dispatched to the sunken coordinates, and did their utmost to search for the missing Vietnamese captain. He was not found. The search and rescue process continued through 8 July 2016.

         - On 10 July 2016 all the detained Vietnamese fishermen and the seized vessel were handed over to the authorities concerned to undergo legal process.

         Second Incident:

         - On 9 July 2016 at 12.00 hours, two patrol boats from the Second Area, Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Centre, discovered two Vietnamese fishing vessels in Thai waters. The patrol boats approached the vessels and requested for inspection in accordance with the VBSS procedures which includes initiating radio contact, using warning signs and broadcasting warnings in Vietnamese. However, both vessels refused to cooperate, sped away and dumped certain objects overboard.

         - Having been informed beforehand, from the First Incident, of the Vietnamese vessels’ tendency to resist arrests, the patrol boats insisted that the Vietnamese vessels stop. However, the vessels continued to elude the Thai patrol boats and ram their vessels into the former. Finally, the Thai patrol boats were able to detain the Vietnamese vessels and all nine crew members, two from which were slightly injured. After Thai officers cleaned their wounds and checked vital signs, the two injured were sent, by helicopter, to a hospital in Songkhla Province. The rest of the crew and seized vessels were transferred to the authorities concerned at 18.30 hours the same day. By 10 July 2016, the two injured fishermen received necessary medical attention and were discharged from hospital.

         The operations by the patrol officials from Second Area, Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Centre, were carried out strictly in compliance with the following guidelines:

         1. The Vietnamese vessels were found to have encroached into Thai territorial waters in very close proximity to Thai petroleum drilling platforms in the Gulf of Thailand, considered to be in violation of Thai laws with punishment by arrest and prosecution under Royal Ordinance on Fisheries B.E. 2558 and Act Governing the Right to Fish in Thai Fishery Waters B.E. 2482. Also, such encroachment can cause serious danger both to Thai nationals and their properties.        

         2. In request for inspection, The Thai patrol officers strictly followed the VBSS procedures, with measures of lesser intensity to higher intensity, and in full accordance with internationally accepted standard.

         3. In providing assistance to Vietnamese fishermen, the Thai officers upheld humanitarian principles on the same basis as practiced on Thai and other foreign fishermen. Food, drinking water and first aid were provided for the arrested Vietnamese fishermen, with the injured sent to nearby hospital in a timeliest manner.

         4. The patrol boats of the Second Area, Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Centre, approached and engaged the Vietnamese vessels with care and precaution.They tried their utmost to avoid and prevent the use of force. Telephone hotlines that evoke continuous exchange of information with the Vietnamese authorities concerned were established during and in the aftermath of the incident. Currently, the Thai authorities are investigating the incidents for further legal action.

         During the period from 1 October 2015 – 30 April 2016, there were at least 19 Vietnamese fishing vessels, with a total number of 160 Vietnamese fishermen already arrested in Thai waters. The strict enforcement of the law is due to the intense effort of the Royal Thai Government
to combat IUU fishing and illegal abuse of labour in fishing vessels in Thai waters. Thailand is determined to step up and strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in addressing the illegal fishing problem in the future.

         Following the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had invited, on 12 July 2016, the Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Thailand to hand him the factual papers. In addition, Royal Thai Embassy in Hanoi had also forwarded the mentioned factual papers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for reference this afternoon.