31 crew from Thai boats ‘taken into Myanmar’

A Myanmar navy patrol boat opened fire on a group of Thai fishing boats off the coast of Ranong province on Saturday, causing one fisherman to drown, and detained 31 crew members from one of the boats, the Thai Ministry of Defence said.
Two of 15 Thai fishing vessels in the area were fired at after they were found operating between 4 and 5.7 nautical miles inside Myanmar waters, ministry spokesperson Thanatip Sawangsang said in a statement.
Three fishermen jumped into the water, one of whom drowned while two were rescued by the Thai navy, Col Thanatip said.
Vice Admiral Suwat Donsakul, a commander in the 3rd Naval Area, said earlier that “31 people were taken into Myanmar”, without specifying who had detained them.
Col Thanatip said the Myanmar navy detained one of the boats, with 31 fishermen on board, adding that the Thai navy was in negotiations to secure their release.
Vice Adm Suwat said the 31 crew — four Thais and 27 Burmese — were believed to have been taken to Yan Cheuk Island in Myanmar.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters that the incident was “just a warning shot” and not an attack, and said authorities were preparing to investigate the facts.
Myanmar’s ruling junta did not immediately respond to a telephone request for comment.
Nikorndej Balankura, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it was also coordinating with authorities in Myanmar to seek the fishermen’s release. It was also evaluating whether any violations of international law had taken place.
Thai fishing boats have often defied warnings from Myanmar and continued to operate in Myanmar waters, which have more fish stocks than Thai waters, said Vice Adm Suwat.
The Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre said Thai boats were fishing around 20km west of Koh Phayam when they were approached by three Myanmar patrol vessels, which opened fire on them.
The attack prompted the fishermen to escape by cutting their nets and revving their engines, heading towards Koh Phayam where they were rescued by a Thai navy patrol boat.
However, two Thai boats were taken by the Myanmar vessels and subsequently towed into Myanmar waters.
Two crew members from another Thai fishing boat sustained injuries — one from gunfire from the Myanmar vessels and the other from an electric shock. The injured were taken to a hospital in Ranong.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai embassy in Myanmar to work with Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist the detained crew members, Mr Nikorndej said.
Ms Paetongtarn has also told state agencies to investigate whether international laws were broken during the incident, and whether overly heavy-handed action was taken against the fishermen on the Thai boats.
Adm Jirapol Wongwit, the navy commander, said it was exploring every possible channel to help the detained Thai crew members.
The Department of Fisheries office in Ranong, which shares a maritime border with Myanmar, urged operators of Thai fishing vessels to be careful when operating near the maritime boundary.
The incident at sea comes amid reports of growing tensions on the land border between the two countries. The Thai army last week played down reports that some bases of the United Wa State Army, which controls neighbouring Shan state, were encroaching on Thai territory in Mae Hong Son province, saying the reports were exaggerated.
Thailand and Myanmar share approximately 2,400 kilometres of land and maritime borders, including in the Andaman Sea.