Vietnamese fishermen rescued after two days adrift off Malaysian coast

By Anh Ngoc   September 26, 2018 | 04:45 pm PT
Vietnamese fishermen rescued after two days adrift off Malaysian coast
A Vietnamese fisherman throws the anchor from his boat. Photo by Reuters
Two young Vietnamese fishermen have been rescued off the coast of Malaysia after drifting for two days.

Nguyen Vam Le, 18, and Do Kien Luong, 22, were rescued by a ship belonging to a Kuala Lumpur-based petroleum firm that found them 45 nautical miles off the coast of Kuala Terengganu City, a spokesperson for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said Tuesday.

Malaysian news agency Bernama reported further that the two men are believed to have escaped from a fishing vessel because they couldn’t handle the working conditions at sea.

They were taken to the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia to have their personal information verified and their relatives contacted.

The two fishermen were not arrested as they hadn’t committed any crime when they were found, the spokesperson said.

Vietnamese authorities have been trying to raise awareness about maritime boundaries and international maritime laws among Vietnamese fishermen.

They have also increased the frequency of patrols to try and prevent potential violations.

 
 
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