MANILA - PHILIPPINE authorities on Thursday vowed to seek long jail terms for six Chinese caught poaching fish and sea turtles, as part of a crackdown against foreigners stealing marine wildlife.
The head of a multi-agency taskforce against illegal entrants, Brigadier General Juancho Sabban, said he planned to take a hardline stance against all foreign poachers, unlike previous officials who allowed them to be released.
'We will be pursuing the harshest penalty as demanded by law. We will be fighting for the conviction of these apprehended poachers,' BG Sabban told AFP.
In previous cases of Chinese fishermen caught illegally in Philippine waters, the Chinese embassy often successfully lobbied for the release of its nationals, much to the anger of local environmental groups.
But BG Sabban, who took over in August last year as head of the taskforce that includes the police and military, said he would push hard for the latest batch of nabbed Chinese to be jailed.
'I don't know what happened in previous cases but I would like to assure everybody that we will take action differently,' he said. -- AFP
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