Chinese fishing vessels illegally operating on Philippine waters thought they could fool the country’s coast guard by flying a Philippine flag. However, they were still arrested because the flag was flown the wrong way.
The red part of the Philippine flag is on top only when the country is at war. However, during peace time, it is the blue part which is on top. And the wrong way the flag was flown was the indicator to Philippine maritime patrols that the two fishing vessels were not owned by locals.
The 25 crew members of the two Chinese vessels were arrested on Monday off the island of Sabtang in northern Philippines, reported The South China Morning Post. The Philippine Coast Guard escorted the Chinese vessels to the post of Basco in Batanes Province.
Reuters identified the two Chinese vessels as the Shen Lia Cheng and She Kou which had 12 and 13 crew members, respectively. The documents of the vessels showed these are registered in China and had no prior permit to travel on Philippine waters.
James Asis Perez, director of the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said the government is presuming the apprehended fishermen are in Philippine waters to fish illegally.
Besides the Chinese boats, the coast guard also arrested last week in the same area 18 Vietnamese fisherman on three vessels. The 18 were detained on Thursday off Calayan Island which is 122 kilometers south of Sabtang.
Perez said he ordered state prosecutors to file illegal fishing charges against the Vietnamese fishermen. If convicted, the intruder could be fined up to $1 million for poaching. But no charges have been filed yet against the Chinese fishermen.