Vietnam calls on Malaysia, Philippines to treat detained fishermen humanely

During his phone call with Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Filipino counterpart Teodoro Locsin on Wednesday, Son suggested the two countries handle these cases "in a cooperative and friendly way," as reported by the government portal.

In recent years, a number of Vietnamese fishing vessels have been caught trespassing in neighboring waters, with hundreds of fishermen arrested for illegal fishing in neighboring countries, including Malaysia and the Philippines.

Despite its 3,260 kilometer (2,025 miles) coastline, Vietnam is running out of near-shore seafood resources, forcing fishermen to encroach on foreign waters.

Son thanked the governments of both countries for facilitating repatriation flights for Vietnamese citizens amid the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as cooperation in accessing safe Covid-19 vaccines.

Last year, 75,000 Vietnamese stuck abroad were brought home on repatriation flights operated by domestic carriers.