Pangasinan police investigating incident between Philippine Navy, Vietnam fishing boat

September 26, 2017

A task force was activated in Pangasinan to investigate last weekend's incident in Bolinao involving a Vietnamese fishing boat in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, a police officer said.

The Provincial Committee on Illegal Entrance was activated Monday to investigate the five fishermen caught including two dead Vietnamese in Bolinao by the  Philippine Navy, a Pangasinan police personnel said in a phone interview with the Daily Manila Shimbun.

Chief Superintendent  Dionardo Carlos, Philippine National Police spokesman said in a press briefing on Monday, the Vietnamese fishing boat was spotted at  34 nautical miles off Bolinao last Saturday.

"The Philippine Navy boat was patrolling...the fishing boat tried to escape and then they rammed the port side during the chase. They rammed  the port side,right side of the Navy boat", Carlos said.

"The report is they provided the warning shot. However, during the investigation when they boarded the Vietnamese vessel  two were found already to be dead and (with) gunshot wound.", he said.

A police personnel from Bolinao said in a phone interview with the Daily Manila Shimbun the five arrested Vietnamese fishermen are under the custody of the Pangasinan Coast Guard. DMS