Sea Gypsy village raid nets 500 fish

RAWAI: Phuket Marine Police on Sunday seized more than 500 fish of protected species in a raid at the Sea Gypsy village off Wiset Rd. Two men seen in possession of the fish managed to escape. Pol Lt Col Prathuang Srilamontri told the Gazette that officers, acting on a tip-off, arrived at the village at 9 pm and surprised two men loading bags of live fish into a sidecar attached to a Honda Dream motorbike. The fish were sealed in plastic bags filled with water to keep them alive while being transported. The two men spotted the approaching officers and tried escaping on the motorbike with the fish still aboard. However, they soon abandoned the motorbike and escaped on foot down a small soi. Marine police officers confiscated the fish and the motorbike and gave a description of the two men to Chalong Police Station. Col Prathuang said, “People often illegally catch protected species in the Andaman Sea with the intention of selling the fish to customers in Bangkok and neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.” The penalty for selling protected fish is up to four years in jail, or a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.