DPA
August 25th 2006
Vietnam has released four Cambodian Sea Border Patrol officials arrested in disputed waters and accused of piracy, the Vietnamese coast guard said Friday.
The four Cambodians were released late Thursday night on orders from the central Vietnam government, after confirming they were members of Cambodia's border patrol.
But a Vietnamese official said the incident at sea on Thursday raises new questions about a series of pirate attacks on Vietnamese fishing boats.
"I think that these Cambodian coast guards were the ones thought to have been pirates who raided many Vietnamese fishing vessels before," said Nguyen Kim Hong, deputy commander of Vietnam's Southern Regional Coast Guard.
Cambodian government officials would not comment on the diplomatic incident Thursday morning, which happened 150 kilometres south of the Cambodian port town of Sihanoukville and 130 kilometres south-southwest of the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.
Four Vietnamese fishing boats radioed Vietnamese authorities for help at about 8 a.m. Thursday, saying they had been boarded by Cambodian pirates and were in the process of having their boats redirected to Cambodia.
According to Hong, as the two Vietnamese patrol arrived on the scene, a speedboat pulled up to three of the fishing boats and collected Cambodian men who had boarded them.
"When we arrived, their speed boat had escaped, taking away a radio system and a compass," Hong said. "There were four Cambodian men aboard one of the boats and they had weapons."
After an hour-long standoff, Vietnam's coast guard boarded the fishing vessel and arrested the Cambodians, taking them back to Phu Quoc island.
The four men, all in their 30s, were released the same day after it turned out they are all Cambodian border patrol officers.
Some 40 Vietnamese fishing boats have reported being attacked by pirates off southern Vietnam, often in waters also claimed by Cambodia. The neighbouring countries do not have an agreement on sea borders.
Cambodian officials contacted Friday would not comment openly, though one Sihanoukville customs official said that the problem had been resolved.
The four Cambodians were released late Thursday night on orders from the central Vietnam government, after confirming they were members of Cambodia's border patrol.
But a Vietnamese official said the incident at sea on Thursday raises new questions about a series of pirate attacks on Vietnamese fishing boats.
"I think that these Cambodian coast guards were the ones thought to have been pirates who raided many Vietnamese fishing vessels before," said Nguyen Kim Hong, deputy commander of Vietnam's Southern Regional Coast Guard.
Cambodian government officials would not comment on the diplomatic incident Thursday morning, which happened 150 kilometres south of the Cambodian port town of Sihanoukville and 130 kilometres south-southwest of the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc.
Four Vietnamese fishing boats radioed Vietnamese authorities for help at about 8 a.m. Thursday, saying they had been boarded by Cambodian pirates and were in the process of having their boats redirected to Cambodia.
According to Hong, as the two Vietnamese patrol arrived on the scene, a speedboat pulled up to three of the fishing boats and collected Cambodian men who had boarded them.
"When we arrived, their speed boat had escaped, taking away a radio system and a compass," Hong said. "There were four Cambodian men aboard one of the boats and they had weapons."
After an hour-long standoff, Vietnam's coast guard boarded the fishing vessel and arrested the Cambodians, taking them back to Phu Quoc island.
The four men, all in their 30s, were released the same day after it turned out they are all Cambodian border patrol officers.
Some 40 Vietnamese fishing boats have reported being attacked by pirates off southern Vietnam, often in waters also claimed by Cambodia. The neighbouring countries do not have an agreement on sea borders.
Cambodian officials contacted Friday would not comment openly, though one Sihanoukville customs official said that the problem had been resolved.
6 comments:
I want to ask AH NUGYEN KIM HONG! What the does the Vietcong have that Cambodian want? Cambodia is the source of everything from economic to natural resources to tourism!
Next time AH NUGYEN KIM HONG can do Cambodian people alot of favor by asking the million and million of illegal Viet to go back home! Cambodian don't anything from the Viet!
Like I said, "pouk ah Youns" wanted to blame everything on Cambodians. Since we don't any government officials that work for the people, we will see more abuses and finger pointing toward the poor and uneducated.
The people who live by the boarder will see increase incident from the paramilitia from the VN.
The Island the Vietnamese call Phu Quoc is actually called Koh Tral and belongs to Cambodia. They are taking away our lands and our islands.
I think Hun Sen's friend has been fed up by our Cambodian Coast Guard because they, Vietnamese, have no longer can still our fish resource from our sea, therefore, they, Vietnamese Sea Guard, are trying to intimidate our Coast Guard as a lesson and pretended they made mistake by not knowing how our Cambodian Coast Guard look like. Ashame on them!
Bravo you arse HUN SEN!
More Carte blanche to the Viets please?
08/27/07
AKnijaKhmer
Those Yourn fishermen always think that Hun Sen is their government's slave, so they also think the Cambodian waters also belong to them. Hun Sen, Hok Lundy and others who support them are also Yourn in disguise. They are here to destroy what Khmer people have. They were also Khmer Rouge cadre who served the Yourn's interest and the Khmer Rouge tribunal must not forget AH Ho Nam Hong, Ah Em Sam Ann etc. Please don't hang them, but just castrate them.
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