Vietnam Coast Guard chases down illegal Chinese fishing vessels

By Hoang Tao   July 21, 2016 | 02:59 am PT
Vietnam Coast Guard chases down illegal Chinese fishing vessels
Crew members of the six illegal Chinese fishing vessels found in Quang Tri waters on Monday. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Tri
Vietnamese forces have cut short another illegal incursion by Chinese fishermen in its territorial waters.

Hundreds of Chinese vessels have been driven away or seized by Vietnamese border defense forces as the country continues its battle against illegal fishing activities in its exclusive economic zone.

In the latest incident on Monday, a group of six Chinese fishing boats were chased from Vietnamese waters after the Vietnam Coast Guard detected them near an island off the central province of Quang Binh.

Local border defense forces said they received information about the Chinese fishing vessels near Con Co Island, about 10 nautical miles from the China–Vietnam Common Fishery Zone.

The trespassers reportedly fled when they saw two high-speed boats from the Quang Binh Coast Guard approaching. The two vessels, carrying 16 Vietnamese military officers, caught up with the fishing boats shortly after. They recorded the incident and issued warnings to the fishermen, before escorting the six boats out of Vietnamese waters.

According to local authorities, 24 Chinese fishermen were onboard the vessels, and none of them could provide identification or fishing licenses.

In April, Vietnam seized a Chinese oil tanker disguised as a fishing boat in the Gulf of Tonkin near the northern port of Hai Phong.

Related news:

> Chinese vessels sink Vietnamese fishing boat near Paracel Islands

> Vietnam sends patrol ships to drive Chinese fishing vessels from territorial waters

> Vietnam drives off Chinese fishing boats for violating waters

> Vietnamese fishermen defiant after latest Chinese fishing ban in East Sea

 
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