Myanmar navy fires at Thai fishing boats, detains 31 fishermen, Thailand says

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A Myanmar navy vessel is seen with another boat in the Andaman Sea, May 31, 2015. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Myanmar's navy opened fire on a group of Thai fishing vessels on Saturday, causing one fisherman to drown, and detained 31 crew members from one of the boats, a spokesperson for Thailand's Defence Ministry said.

Two of 15 Thai fishing vessels were fired at after they operated 4-5.7 nautical miles (7.4-10.6 km) inside Myanmar's territorial waters, spokesperson Thanatip Sawangsang said in a statement.

Three fishermen jumped into the water during the incident, one of whom drowned while two were rescued by the Thai navy, Thanatip said.

One of the boats, with 31 fishermen on board, was detained by Myanmar's navy during the encounter, Thanatip said, adding that the Thai navy was in negotiations to secure their release.

Myanmar's ruling junta did not immediately respond to a telephone request for comment.

A spokesperson for the Thai Foreign Ministry, Nikorndej Balankura, said the ministry was also coordinating with authorities in Myanmar to seek the fishermen's release and evaluating whether any violations of international law had taken place.

The fishery department in Thailand's southern Ranong province, which shares a maritime border with Myanmar, urged Thai fishing vessels to be careful when traveling near the boundary.

Myanmar has been in crisis since 2021 when the military seized power, toppling an elected government and sparking an armed rebellion by crushing protests with lethal force.

Rebels have mounted unprecedented attacks, seizing control of border areas and making inroads into the country's formerly peaceful heartlands.

Thailand's army last week played down local media reports of heightened tensions on the land border with Myanmar in an area where there is a longstanding dispute with the controlling ethnic armed group, saying the reports were exaggerated.



(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Helen Popper)