The vessels had been left there by their owners after being deemed illegal and unable to be used for sailing or fishing purposes. The government had offered compensation to the owners of such fishing boats that were deemed illegal because they did not meet the authorities’ criteria. However, the sunken vessels in the Pak Phanang River – along with reportedly many other fishing boats in the region – were not subject to such compensation because their registration information did not match the actual boat conditions, hence they were left partially sunken in the river, said the owner of one of the boats in question, who asked not to be named. Officials prior to 2015 were not so strict about such matters, and many boat owners therefore modified their vessels to a larger size, such as from 30 gross tonnes to 70 gross tonnes, before requesting a change to their registration information, he said. Then, despite failing to get the required documentation, they simply continued to use the vessels to fish, the boat owner explained.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 12, 2019 09:56 UTC