Burmese Navy Opens Fire on Thai Fishing Vessels

Thailand's defense ministry is negotiating with the government of Myanmar over the safe return of 31 Thai fishermen who were shot at and captured by a Burmese patrol vessel in the Andaman Sea. 

On Saturday morning, the Myanmar Navy interdicted a small fleet of Thai fishing vessels near Ranong Province. According to Thai defense ministry spokesman Thanatip Sawangsang, 15 Thai vessels were engaged in fishing about 4-6 nautical miles inside of Myanmar's territorial seas when they encountered Burmese forces. It is common for Thai vessels to cross over the long and porous line in search of better fishing, and such transgressions occur frequently in many Southeast Asian jurisdictions. 

One Burmese vessel fired warning shots near the flotilla, and the Thai boats cut their nets and ran for the boundary. In the rush to escape, three fishermen went over the side, including one who did not survive. Two others were reportedly injured in the exchange, according to The Nation.  

Two Thai fishing vessels and 31 crewmembers were captured by Burmese authorities and taken to Yan Cheuk Island, Myanmar. Negotiations are under way for their safe return. 

The Royal Thai Navy responded to the scene with two patrol vessels and helped with search and rescue operations to retrieve the missing fishermen. On shore, the service's leaders warned their Burmese counterparts against overreaction, and said that any attack on Thai fishermen within Thai waters would elicit a "response in kind." 

Myanmar's military junta is in the midst of a civil war with ethnic separatists and pro-democracy groups in the country's interior, and has been losing ground. The junta's top leader, Min Aung Hlaing, was recently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court; Hlaing, former head of Myanmar's army, stands accused of orchestrating the campaign to expel the Rohingya ethnic group from Myanmar's Rakhine State in 2017.