• 
• 

The vessel, believed to be from the southern Thai province of Songkhla, was seized by a navy patrol boat early Sunday said state capital maritime chief Syed Mohamad Fuzi Syed Hasan.

"On seeing the navy vessel approaching, the Thai fishing boat tried to flee but failed," Syed Mohamad Fuzi was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

He said patrol officers detained the skipper and eight crew members, adding that 300 kilograms of catch on board the fishing boat was also seized.

Syed Mohamad Fuzi said the suspects, aged between 25 and 45 years, would be placed under remand and are likely to be charged for encroaching and fishing on illegal waters.

If found guilty, the skipper faces a fine of 1 million ringgit (303,000 dollars) while each crew member could be fined 100,000 ringgit (31,300 dollars).