“The arrested sailors from a Gulf country with Asian nationalities are currently being interrogated as part of routine procedures in such cases,” said Al-Ghamdi.
The Border Guard also detained three Saudi boats with 12 sailors for fishing in prohibited areas in Saudi territorial waters, he added.
Appeal postponed
Meanwhile, a Qatari court has re-scheduled the appeal of the 28 fishermen who trespassed into Qatari waters for Dec.2.
The date to release the two remaining boats in the custody of Qatar’s security forces has been postponed to Thursday.
The Saudi Embassy in Doha and the Association of Fishermen in the Eastern Province (AFEP) have been striving for the release of 28 sailors, who are Indian expatriates working for Saudi sponsors, and their six fishing boats over the past four months. Consequently, four boats were released last week.
“The Qatar court postponed the release of the remaining two boats because of the delay in the completion of the paper work,” said Jaafar Al-Safwani, deputy chairman of the AFEP.
He added that three judges have been handling the charges against six boats. The cases against the 28 fishermen will also be examined in three separate cases.
Safety measures
In another development, the Marine Safety Committee is currently discussing ways to reduce the risk of drowning by beach-goers.
Chairperson of the committee Princess Mashael bint Abdul Mohsen bin Jalawi, stressed the significance of beefing up public awareness campaigns. The princess pointed out that drowning accidents were down by 70 percent in the current year compared to those last year.
Border Guards are also planning to organize an exhibition as part of awareness campaigns against the beach accidents particularly during the Eid Al-Adha holidays.
