Vietnamese convicted of poaching

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY— Eleven Vietnamese fishermen detained at a provincial jail since March this year were convicted on Wednesday of shark poaching and ordered to pay a fine of P4.5 million each.

Judge Ambrosio de Luna, who presides over the environmental court of Palawan province, also ordered the confiscation of the Vietnamese nationals’ fishing vessel and equipment.

De Luna, in his three-page ruling, said that should the Vietnamese fail to pay the fine, they would be sent to jail to serve a sentence of at least six months. The Vietnamese were arrested by a Navy patrol team on March 26. Redempto D. Anda, Inquirer Southern Luzon