(UPDATE) RTC sentences 12 Chinese fishermen 6-12 years of jail term

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Palawan regional court sentenced today the 12 Chinese fishermen who strayed into Tubbataha protected area in southwestern Philippines last year with imprisonment ranging from six to 12 years.

Court branch 51 in Palawan convicted the 12 Chinese fishermen for violation of Tubbataha Protected Area Law of 2009 and sentenced a prison term of 12 year for the vessel's captain, Liu Wenjie, and sentenced the other 11 fishermen imprisonment from six to 10 years.

The court also imposed a penalty of $100,000 for each of the accused, said the Provincial prosecutor Allen Ross Rodriguez.

The 12 Chinese fishermen will serve their sentences at the Iwahig Penal Colony located in Palawan, Rodriguez added.

The Chinese fishing vessel run aground in Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site, off Western Philippine province of Palawan in April last year after it got lost on the way back to China from Malaysia.

The Chinese government always attaches great importance to the security of its fishermen abroad, while educating and supervising them on their fishing activities, said China's Foreign Ministry last year in response to the incident.