Navy men involved in Vietnamese fishermen's deaths relieved

The commanding officer and other crew of Philippine Navy ship PS-19 involved in the deaths of two Vietnamese fishermen on Saturday were relieved from their posts, Navy spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"The Commanding officer and other crew were relieve to make them available on-call for the inquiry to shed light and to ensure impartiality in the said inquiry," Navy spokesperson Captain Lued Lincuna said.

Aside from the fatalities, five other Vietnamese fishermen were arrested over the weekend after they were spotted fishing 35 nautical miles off Bolinao, Pangasinan.

The five fishermen have been turned over by the police to the Philippine Coast Guard.

Police said that according to the Navy men involved, the Vietnamese initiated very dangerous maneuvers while being chased.

The Vietnamese fishermen's boat slammed into the Philippine Navy's patrol vessel, which prompted personnel to fire warning shots.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has assured the Vietnam government of a fair and thorough probe into the incident.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the government already started its investigation. —Anna Felicia Bajo/ALG/KVD, GMA News