Tuesday, 29 December 2009 18:16 Salai Pi Pi
New Delhi (Mizzima) - Burma has freed over hundred detained fishermen from Indonesia, Taiwan and China held last month for allegedly fishing in its territorial waters.
Dhyasti Kalista, Third Secretary of Information and Social-Cultural section of the Indonesian Embassy in Rangoon said on Tuesday, that the Burmese Home Ministry on Friday freed 111 Indonesian fishermen detained in Insein prison, Rangoon and a jail in Myeik in Tenintharyi division in southern Burma.
Though the release order for 102 Indonesian fishermen held in Insein jail was issued by the Burmese Home Ministry on Friday, Kalista said, they remained in the jail compound because there is no guest house to accommodate them.
“They have to stay there till we arrange a flight for them. But they are all being treated well by prison authorities,” Kalista said.
The freed Indonesian fishermen are among 128 fishing boat crew members from Phillipine, Taiwan and China. They were on board 10 fishing vessels seized by the Burmese Navy on Andaman Sea, near Coco Island on November 15. Later they were transferred to Insein jail without being charged and put on trial.
In the same way the navy arrested nine Indonesian fishermen last month and put them in Myeik jail.
“Our officials are bringing the nine fishermen from Myeik to Yangon [Rangoon] today,” Kalista said.
Meanwhile, an official in the Rangoon-based Chinese Embassy’s Visa Section on Tuesday said four Taiwanese and one Chinese were released from Insein prison and sent back to their respective countries.
“Four Taiwanese went back to Taiwan yesterday and one Chinese returned to China today,” a Chinese Official told Mizzima.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry today could not comment on the condition of the detained Filipino fishermen in Burma’s jail.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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