A fishing boat reported missing almost a week ago has been found floating near Vietnamese waters with only the dead captain on board and no sign of the crew.
Vice Admiral Samroeng Chanso, commander of Royal Thai Navy Region 2, said the trawler Choksakulwadi 2 was found near Vietnamese territorial waters in the Gulf of Thailand in the early hours on Friday by the patrol boat HTMS Sattahip.
The skipper, Saman Ninbut, was found dead on board the boat. There was no sign of anyone else.
The boat was being towed back to Pattani and was expected to arrive in port on Friday evening.
Adm Samroeng said the captain’s death would be investigated, along with the fate of the missing crew members.
It was not clear how many people were on board when the trawler set out to sea on May 30.
The dead captain’s older sister, Wandi Ninbut, said she was in regular contact with him but had been unable to raise him on Sunday. She became worried and contacted the authorities.
Then, on Thursday she complained to reporters about the lack of help in finding him from the navy and Southern Border Province Administrative Centre.
“Please help me. I want my brother back,” she said.
Navy Region 2 spokesman Capt Nattaphol Promkhutong on Thursday denied the navy had ignored her request for help. He said two navy vessels and planes had been searching for missing boat since Monday.
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