The Thai-Myanmar Border Committee meets in the next few days to discuss the return of four Thai fishermen detained by the Myanmar military in a skirmish last Saturday.
Thai PBS cited Thai Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Thanathip Sawangsaeng as saying the two sides will meet in southern Myanmar’s Kawthoung across the Kra Isthmus from Thailand’s Ranong.
The attack by several Navy vessels on 15 Thai fishing boats took place some 12 nautical miles (about 22 km) off the coast of Koh Phayam in Ranong around 1.15 a.m. on Saturday.
One Thai fisherman drowned after jumping into the sea and two others were injured when the Myanmar patrol boats gave chase and opened fire. The Myanmar Navy seized one of the trawlers with 31 crew on board—27 Myanmar migrant workers and four Thais—and towed it back into Myanmar waters.
Junta spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun on Monday said the Navy responded in line with rules and regulations since the boats had strayed into Myanmar’s territorial waters.
He said he had informed fishing authorities in Ranong and stressed the “friendly ties not only between the two governments but also between the two armed forces.”
Thailand summoned Myanmar Ambassador Chit Shwe on Monday and demanded the release of the four, and Chit Swe expressed regret over the death of the Thai national, Thai PBS reported.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra sent a protest letter to the regime following the incident, saying her government is investigating whether the trawlers had really intruded into Myanmar waters. “We don’t support violence in any situation. We need to establish the complete facts of what occurred,” she told Thai media on Sunday.
The Thai ambassador to Myanmar has been assigned to discuss the matter with Myanmar’s permanent secretary for Foreign Affairs in Naypyitaw, according to the Thai foreign minister.
Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai complained that the Myanmar Navy had overreacted by firing “too many shots” at the fleeing trawlers.
Junta media reported that the seized trawler is owned by a Thai citizen in Ranong who paid the Thai crew 15,000 baht a month and the Burmese crew 12,000 baht.
Zaw Min Tun also claimed his ministry is conducting further investigation after “materials related to revolutionary groups” that were not weapons or ammunition were found on the trawler.
A fishing source in Thailand told The Irrawaddy: “Fishing trawlers are subjected to checks before they go out to the sea and when they return. They’re not allowed to carry weapons. The regime did not clarify what materials it has found.”
A labor rights activist in southern Thailand warned the border incident could make the lives of Myanmar migrant workers there harder.
U Min Oo at the non-profit Foundation for Education and Development said: “It could cause further misunderstanding if the regime can’t explain clearly and decisively. Many migrant workers have already had problems with local Thai communities over the past few months, and chauvinistic Thais have a negative view of them and have been calling for their deportation. The attack on the fishing boats can only make these sentiments worse.”
Meanwhile, Paetontarn has sent a letter of condolence to the family of the 24-year-old Thai man who drowned after jumping into the sea during the incident. The Thai Navy chief and officers visited the victim’s family on Sunday.
