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MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Philippine embassy in Yangon has been allowed to see the 14 detained Filipino fishermen who were caught for alleged illegal fishing off Myanmar waters, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.
And the DFA is now working on their immediate repatriation. It is also talking to the vessel owner on the payment of immigration fines.
“Myanmar authorities have assured the embassy access to the Filipino fishermen whenever requested,” the DFA said in a statement, adding that the Philippine embassy in Yangon has been allowed to see the Filipino fishermen twice already.
According to the DFA, the 14 were among the 128 fishermen on board 10 Taiwanese fishing vessels were arrested last November 18. Most of the crew members are Indonesians, with some Taiwanese and Filipinos.
Detained at Insein Prison, where the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was at one time jailed, the detained foreign fishermen were visited by Philippine embassy officials , who gave them food and clothing.
The fishermen told the Filipino diplomats that all their personal belongings, including passports and personal documents, were confiscated by the Myanmar Navy.
“Embassy personnel made representations with Myanmar authorities for the return of the Filipino fishermen’s passports and other belongings,” the DFA said.
According to the DFA, the fishermen may face prosecution for violation of immigration laws, which carries a penalty of imprisonment not exceeding three months, or payment of fine not exceeding 200 kyat or $30.72.
The vessels allegedly sailed into Myanmar’s exclusive economic zone without its permission. Under the law of the sea, a nation has the right to outline an exclusive economic zone stretching up to 200 nautical miles from its shores and claim the right to exploit the resources within that area. Myanmar possesses a 2,229 kilometer-long (1,385 miles) coastline along the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.
Myanmar and the Philippines are members of Asean, the regional bloc that has recently approved its charter. The other Asean member-states are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
With reports from AFP
