Two arrested for illegal fishing off Cape Panwa

Two men have been arrested for fishing illegally in a restricted area off Cape Panwa that is designated as an aquatic animal and plant sanctuary.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon (June 12) when the two men were spotted by officials from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) based at the nearby Phuket Marine Resources Conservation Center.

A report on the DMCR Facebook page explains that the men were fishing in waters that were specifically designated for the preservation of aquatic animals and plant species on July 31 last year by the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Committee.

Officers at Wichit police station were alerted and then advanced to the scene where they apprehended the men, 20-year-old Thai national Pathompong Kham-on and 25-year-old Than Myint Oo from Myanmar.

The area is off limits to members of the general public and anyone found violating this is considered to be guilty of "encroachment and destruction of marine resources," according to the July 31, 2023 ruling, which is an amendment to the Royal Decree on Fisheries B.E. 2015.

Section 56 of this decree "prohibits anyone from catching aquatic animals in a sanctuary area designated for aquatic animals as specified by the Minister or the Provincial Fisheries Committee with the approval of the Minister, unless it is done for academic purposes or for the maintenance of aquatic animal species and permission in writing has been received from the committee Director-General."

Mr Pathompong and Mr Than's fishing rods and fishing related gear were confiscated and they were taken by officers to Wichit police station where they were to face charges that were not revealed in the DMCR report.

Similarly, there was no mention in the same report as to the specific boundaries of the off-limits conservation zone so as to mitigate potential future offences.