At the meeting, the Minister Counsellor expressed deep concern over the issue, saying that the use of force has violated international law and demanding Thailand promptly investigate and punish all individuals involved in the shooting. He also requested Thailand prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
Major-General Apichart Suribunya, who is also Thailand’s Interpol Director, said Thailand is seriously looking into the incident with a special taskforce to be set up for the investigation. He affirmed that Thailand will investigate the case in an open and transparent manner and ensure that those determined to be guilty will be tried in accordance with the law.
The Thai government will inform the Vietnamese Government on the outcomes of the investigation as soon as possible.
On September 17, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note requesting Thai authorities verify the incident and take strict measures against those involved in breaking the law.
The same day, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh also asked Thailand to scrutinise the case as well as adequately compensate the human and property losses of Vietnamese fishermen, and prevent the recurrence of such incidents which can negatively affecting Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership.
