Criminal raps filed vs four Vietnamese poachers
By Redempto Anda
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:21:00 07/08/2008
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines -- The Provincial Prosecutors' Office filed Tuesday a criminal case against four Vietnamese nationals caught by law enforcement agencies Sunday while fishing in El Nido, Palawan.
The four Vietnamese nationals were identified as boat captain Mieng Tan, 41; Tenh Van Sang, 32; Nguyin Van Phung, 32; and Le Van Phuc, 37.
All have been detained at the Palawan provincial jail.
The Vietnamese fishers were part of a fishing party composed of five foreign vessels when they were chased by a combined team of Navy, Coast Guard and PNP personnel including staff members of the El Nido Marine Protected Area.
One of the five boats was captured along with its crew of four after it developed an engine trouble and was overtaken by the pursuing enforcers.
Confiscated from the foreign fishers were their boat, a compressor used for diving and an undetermined amount of fish catch.
The arrest of the Vietnamese was the second similar incident this year in Palawan. In April, 21 Vietnamese nationals fled, leaving two of their companions after they were caught fishing near the island municipality of Balabac in Southern Palawan.
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