Detained Thailand

Paradeep, Orissa, Nov 13 (UNI) All the 28 fishermen, four from Thailand and 24 from Myanmar detained by Paradeep police since June 29 last, were given green signal by the local police to return to their respective countries.

All the fishermen were taking shelter in the Orissa Maritime Academy here after they were rescued on June 29 from the deep sea off the Paradeep coast.

Thirty six fishermen, who were heading towards Port Blair, were caught in the deep depression of which eight, two from Myanmar and six from Thailand, drowned in the Bay of Bengal.

The Paradeep police, however, managed to rescue 28 fishermen during a joint rescue operation with the Coast Guard. As many as 12 fishermen were rescued near Sandhakuda area and the rest 16 rescued near the South gate of oil refinery.

Police said the detained fishermen were released after the owner of the vessels and the Secretary of the Royal Thailand Consultant General reached the port town yesterday and produced all the relevant documents of the detained people.

Paradeep Police station officer in charge Kishore Paikaray said one Pradeep Bharadwaj, the owner of the deep sea fishing vessels, a New Delhi-based fish merchant, along with Karan Raychoudhury , the Secretary of Kolkota-based Royal Tailand Consultant General, submitted all the relevant documents of the vessels and the fishermen.

He said after cross-checking all the documents, including the passports, no objection certificates, fitness certificate of the vessel and citizenship produced by the fishing vessels owner, the detained fishermen were released from police detention to return to their countries.

The fishermen came to the Bay of Bengal with four fishing vessels.

One fishing vessel went to Port Blair whereas two of the Thailand- bound fishing vessels, Jalpai-1 and Jalpai-2, carrying 36 fishermen of Myanmar and Thailand, capsized in the Bay of Bengal near Paradeep after it was caught in a deep depression.

UNI