Burmese authorities are seizing at least one Thai fishing boat per day for illegally fishing in Burmese waters, say sources in southern Tenasserim Division.
About 300 Thai fishing boats have official five-year fishing concessions, said a Burmese intelligence source in Kaw Thaung, a border town at the southernmost tip of Burma’s Tenasserim Peninsula. Another 100 or more Thai boats operate in Burmese waters with un-official permission purchased from local authorities, added the source.
Seizure and taxation of the Thai fishing fleet is the largest source of income for army and navy officials in the area, the intelligence source told IMNA. Boat owners must pay between 50,000 and 60,000 baht per month for unofficial fishing rights, depending on the size of the boat, said source. This fee was confirmed by local fisherman.
According to the intelligence source and fishermen, boats with unofficial fishing rights that stray from permitted areas are subject seizure, as are the scores of other Thai boats the operate in the area without permission of any sort.
“The army or navy arrests Thai boats everyday – at least one or two in a day, but they are released once they [the authorities] get paid,” said the intelligence source, who is close to Lieutenant Colonel Nyan Naing of the area Tactical Command.
On Tuesday, IMNA spoke with a man who had just negotiated the release of a boat after an officer from Navy Ship No. 599 held for two nights. “I am the person who organized the release. The navy did not take money – I had to give three motorbikes and some commodities, equal to 150,000 baht,” said the fisherman. “They [the men from the navy] tried to keep the boat – they already painted it a new color. But we were able to get it back.”
Fishermen said they must also make petty payments of gasoline, rice, whiskey or other gifts whenever they encounter army or navy officers. These small payments are required regardless of whether the fisherman have official or unofficial fishing rights.
Fishing boats from Thailand are attracted to Burma for its fish and, particularly, shellfish. According to a Mon captain who operates a boat for a Thai fishing company, an average day’s shellfish catch can net 60,000 baht. A good day can bring in 150,000 baht.
An order issued by Burmese authorities three months ago, however, made the shellfish harvesting illegal. Violators of the new law risk imprisonment of up to 20 years, said the intelligence source and one of the fishermen. IMNA could not confirm whether anyone has been prosecuted under the law.
