MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday led the send-off ceremony for five Vietnamese fishermen caught poaching within the country's exclusive economic zone in September.
The Vietnamese fishermen — Phan Lam, Phan Net, Nguyen Uan Trong, Nguyen Than Chi and Pham To — were taken into custody after they were spotted fishing 34 nautical miles off Cape Bolinao in Pangasinan.
The send-off was in fulfillment of Duterte's promise to Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang when they met at the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam earlier this month.
In his meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Duterte apologized for the killing of two Vietnamese fishermen, identified as Le Van Liem and Le Van Reo, in the sea chase incident last September 23.
The Philippine Navy fired shots at one of the Vietnamese fishing boats that were using powerful lights to attract fish.
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According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, one of the Vietnamese boats initiated dangerous maneuvers that resulted in it slamming into the Philippine Navy ship.
This is the second time that Duterte led a send-off for Vietnamese fishermen caught poaching in the West Philippine Sea. The first time was in November last year when he sent off 17 Vietnamese nationals.
READ: Duterte orders release of Vietnamese caught poaching in West Philippine Sea