TWO Vietnamese fishermen were found dead inside a fishing vessel apprehended by Navy officials after it was caught illegally fishing, along with five other Vietnamese ships in Bolinao, Pangasinan, last Friday.
Five other Vietnamese fishermen were arrested during the operation and turned over to the local police in Pangasinan, the military and the Philippine National Police said
on Monday.
A report from the Pangasinan Provincial Police Office identified the two dead Vietnamese as Phan Van Liem, 41 and Le Van Reo, 41, who bore gunshot wounds in the head and body, an initial investigation showed.
Those arrested were identified as boat captain Pham To, 34; Phan Lam, 34; Nguyen Thanh Chi, 49; Phan Van Liem, 41; and Nguyen Van Trong.
The dead as well as the arrested Vietnamese were from Phu Yen province, Vietnam.
Based on an investigation by the police, Navy personnel on board BRP Miguel Malvar (PS 19) sighted six sets of super lights at around 11:30 p.m. last Friday at about 34 nautical miles of Bolinao, Pangasinan.
When the Navy vessel checked, it found the six Vietnamese fishing vessels were poaching and using super lights, which attract fish.
One of the fishing vessels nearest the Miguel Malvar, however, reportedly turned off its lights and sped off, prompting the Navy ship to chase the vessel.
“Despite of numerous and repeated calls through marine band radio and megaphone to stop from fleeing, said vessel disregarded the calls and made dangerous maneuvers. Apparently, the said vessel refused to yield and, instead, attempted to escape wherein after a brief chase toward the vessel,” the police report said.
“At that juncture, the Vietnamese vessel veered into its starboard side hitting the portside of the Navy vessel. Thereafter, the Vietnamese vessel continued to flee then after minutes of chase, the Vietnamese vessel suddenly stopped. Afterward, the Navy directed the Vietnamese vessel to position at the portside and, as the Navy personnel boarded the foreign vessel, they saw two dead bodies lying on its deck. According to the Vietnamese crew, said bodies were taken from the stockroom, which was situated at the bow side of the vessel,” the report added.
The police report, however, did not say whether Navy personnel aboard the Miguel Malvar, which chased the Vietnamese vessel, fired their firearms.
The Vietnamese vessel bore bullet holes, as investigators found out, after the boat was towed into the Sual Wharf at Barangay Poblacion, Sual, Pangasinan, at around 2 a.m. lastSaturday.
“During the investigation, it was also ascertained that the Vietnamese vessel incurred six bullets holes on its bow [storage], portside and stern portion,” the police report said.
“It was noticed the cadavers bore gunshot wounds,” it added.
The Police’s Scene of the Crime Operatives recovered two deformed and fragmented fired bullets and one deformed and fragmented bullet jacket from the Vietnamese vessel.