20 Chinese fishermen arrested in Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — Twenty Chinese nationals were apprehended Saturday by Philippine Marine troops while on an illegal fishing expedition off the coast of Mangsee Island in Balabac, Palawan, the Philippine Navy said yesterday.

Commander Geronimo Malabanan, Navy spokesman, said the apprehended Chinese fishermen are now under the custody of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Balabac.

Also taken in for questioning were four Filipino-Chinese interpreters from Cebu City who were with the group when their fishing vessel, Sea Lion, was intercepted by a joint seaborne marine and PCG patrol, 800 yards north of Mangsee Islands.

Government forces recovered 50 live sea turtles from the fishing boat, which was also discovered to have entered the country’s territorial waters illegally.

Sea turtles, considered a delicacy in many parts of Asia, are a protected species in the Philippines.

Local authorities were preparing charges against the Chinese fishermen, whose vessel has also been impounded.

Many Chinese poachers have previously been jailed after being caught in the waters off Palawan.

Foreign poachers steal marine life worth up to P60 billion (more than $1 billion) from Philippine waters every year, military officials have said. — With AFP