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BANGKOK, Aug.1 (Xinhua) -- Thai marine police arrested 20 Vietnamese on four trawlers for allegedly illegal catching sea cucumbers in Thai waters on Monday.
According to Thai media Komchadluek, the marine police seized the trawlers about 30 nautical miles off the coast of the southern Narathiwat province at about 15:00 local time. The police found communication devices, fishing nets and sea cucumbers on board.
The trawlers and their crew members were taken to a marine police station in Narathiwat for further investigation.
During the questioning, the crew allegedly admitted to catching sea cucumbers in the Thai waters off Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces and sold them in Vietnam for 200 baht (5.75 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, Bangkok Post reported.
The Vietnamese would be charged with illegal entry and fishing in Thai waters without permission, Said Nattapong Takaew, an inspector at Marine Police Division's sub-division 8.
The arrest came a day after a Vietnamese trawler with four Vietnamese men on board was caught illegally poaching sea cucumbers 30 nautical miles off Pattani coast.
Thai navy also arrested 29 crew members of three Vietnamese trawlers for allegedly illegal fishing on July 10, which was the 26th time that the navy have detained Vietnamese trawlers in 2016. Enditem
