PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines — A large net with 20 dead sea turtles in it were found in the coastal waters of Balabac in the southern tip of Palawan, and authorities believed they were left submerged by the group of Chinese poachers caught by a Naval patrol last Thursday.
Quoting military reports, Palawan Gov. Abraham Kahlil Mitra said the Chinese nationals might have laid down the nets themselves and were mainly engaged in poaching for marine turtles, a protected species.
“There were 20 deep sea turtles trapped in the net. The personnel of DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) decided to just bury them,” Mitra told the Inquirer on Monday.
The six Chinese nationals who were caught on board a motorboat after failing to outrun a pursuing naval patrol boat had since been detained at the provincial jail after they were formally charged with violations of the Fisheries Code and the Wildlife Act.
The Chinese nationals were identified as: Ah Chun, 40; Singah Chuang, 50; Ah Suan, 15; Ah Chin, 16; Ah Bu, 17 and Kha Du Wu, 18.
They were caught right off the coastal village of Ramos in the southernmost Palawan island-town of Balabac facing the Malaysian border.
Local officials said they were investigating reports that the Chinese were funding some local communities to catch the marine turtles and sell to them.
One of the six Chinese nationals, who had told authorities they were from the mainland province of Hainan, spoke Tagalog.
“We’re mobilizing Balabac residents to help us in our campaign to stop these incursions by Chinese fishermen in our waters,” Mitra said.
When they were caught on Thursday, the Chinese’s boat yielded five live marine turtles, three dead ones and assorted fishing paraphernalia, including butchering tools.
Dozens of Chinese poachers had gotten away with illegal fishing in Palawan in the past after national government officials, often the Department of Foreign Affairs, intercede on their behalf amid Chinese government pressure.
China is claiming the entire South China Sea as its territory in a dispute with several other countries in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.