VietNamNet Bridge – The nine Vietnamese fishermen who were freed by China authorities on October 11 have not arrived home though they were expected to be home on evening of October 12.

The authorities of Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai, their home-town, and their families, have tried to contact the nine fishermen’s boat by the Icom system but they couldn’t.

Colonel Bui Phu Phu, Vice-Chief of Quang Ngai province’s border guard forces, guessed that the fishermen may be busy catching fish to compensate their losses or they may shelter from the current tropical depression.

The nine fishermen and their boat were captured on September 11 when they were catching fish in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago. China accused them of fishing by dynamite and claimed a fine to release them and their boat. The Vietnamese Foreign Affairs and Quang Ngai authorities rejected the accusation, arguing that the fishermen didn’t use dynamite and they only dived to catch holothurians.

China on October 11 announced they would unconditionally free the fishermen and their boat.

PV