Philippines sends home 5 Vietnamese poachers

MANILA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines sent back to Vietnam on Wednesday five Vietnamese fishermen who were detained after they were caught poaching in Philippine waters last September.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte led the send-off ceremony for the five Vietnamese fishermen.

During his meeting with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam early this month, Duterte apologized for the death of the two Vietnamese fishermen and promised to send the five fishermen back to Vietnam.

The two Vietnamese fishermen were killed on Sept. 23 when a Philippine navy patrol caught six Vietnamese fishing boats fishing off Cape Bolinao.

According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the navy patrol boat went after the Vietnamese fishing vessels. In the ensuing chase, it said one of the Vietnamese boats initiated very dangerous maneuvers that resulted in its slamming into the Philippine patrol vessel.

The DFA said this prompted personnel on board the navy vessel to fire warning shots and when the navy personnel boarded the fishing vessel, they found two Vietnamese fishermen dead.

Five others surrendered and were taken into custody.

Duterte said he considers the offenses of the fishermen as "something very minor" that can easily be forgiven.

"In the interest of the larger picture of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) we need to understand their plight. I had to do it because I made the commitment during the ASEAN (summit) and promised to do the same - that we treat our poor citizens who happen to just intrude somewhere with understanding, with love," Duterte said during the send-off ceremony in Pangasinan Province.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN leaders held their summit early this month in Manila. Enditem