29 March 2005 – Pursuant to instructions from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan will be sending a Consul and an Assistance to National (ATN) officer to Karachi province to extend all possible assistance to the 38 Filipino fishermen who were detained along with 36 other foreign fishermen by Pakistani authorities for charges of  illegally fishing in Pakistani waters.

Philippine Ambassador to Pakistan Jorge V. Arizabal reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that among other tasks, the Embassy representatives being sent to Karachi will ensure that the Filipino fishermen are accorded due process under Pakistani law and have the services of a lawyer.  The Embassy officials will also issue travel documents should the 38 Filipinos be allowed to return to the Philippines immediately.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Arizabal further reported that he has instructed Philippine Honorary Consul in Karachi, Mr. Nasser Nawaz Jaffer, to conduct a consular visit for the 38 Filipinos in detention, to report on any further  developments in the case and see to the needs of the Filipino fishermen as their case is being acted upon by the Pakistani authorities.

Ambassador Arizabal said that on 26 March 2005, Pakistan’s Coast Guard seized two fishing trawlers carrying 70 tons of tuna fish and an international crew of 38 Filipinos, 15 Indians, 15 Chinese and six Thais.    The seizure took place about 100 kilometers southeast of the Karachi seaport.

The Ambassador based his report on information released by the Pakistani Maritime Security Agency, which also said that the crewmembers would be handed over to the police after an initial investigation.

The fish trawlers are owned by a Sri Lankan company based in the Indian City of Visaka Patnam in the State of Andra Pradesh.  END
 

/jay