Verifying information about Vietnamese fishing boat being captured by Thailand

On the afternoon of February 27, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' regular press conference, the press asked many questions about citizen protection work, including a request for the spokesperson to provide information about the incident in which a Vietnamese fishing vessel collided with a Thai naval vessel off the coast of Trat province, resulting in the arrest of four crew members and their vessel.

Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang answers questions at a press conference this afternoon. Photo: Minh Nhat

Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that they have not yet received any official information from Thailand regarding this matter.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand to work with local authorities to verify and clarify relevant information in order to take necessary measures to protect Vietnamese citizens in case any Vietnamese fishermen are arrested.

Following a crackdown on online scam centers in Myanmar, thousands of foreign nationals are stranded at the Myanmar-Thailand border, awaiting repatriation. According to Thai authorities, approximately 7,000 people who previously worked in scam centers run by criminal gangs are currently trapped.

Regarding this information, spokesperson Pham Thu Hang stated that Myanmar authorities are currently detaining several foreign nationals, including Vietnamese citizens, after cracking down on online fraud operations in the border area between Thailand and Myanmar.

"We are still gathering more specific figures. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security on this matter, and is also directing Vietnamese representative agencies in Thailand and Myanmar to urgently work with local authorities to verify the identities of Vietnamese citizens and promptly take measures to protect and assist citizens when necessary," said Ms. Pham Thu Hang.

The spokesperson stated that, in recent times, Vietnamese authorities have closely cooperated with their counterparts in other countries to investigate, clarify, and strictly handle violations of the law by Vietnamese citizens abroad in accordance with Vietnamese law and the laws of the host country.

"We believe that violations of the law must be handled in accordance with the law. Vietnamese authorities have been, are, and will continue to closely monitor the situation, and are ready to take necessary and timely measures to protect Vietnamese citizens who are victims in these incidents," the spokesperson said.

In recent weeks, authorities in Thailand and several other countries have collaborated to dismantle numerous online scam centers along the border. This is part of a campaign aimed at ending the operations of criminal organizations that have held and coerced hundreds of thousands of people into cross-border scams across Southeast Asia.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that authorities are planning the repatriation of those rescued, depending on the readiness of the embassies and governments of the countries involved.

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