U.S. watercrafts intercept Yemeni fishing boats [Archives:2006/951/Local News]

LAHJ, May 30 ) Media sources revealed last Monday that United States war watercrafts from the Djibouti Marine base intentionally intercepted and examined a group of Yemeni fishing boats in Aden Gulf and investigated their fishermen.

Al-Shoura Net mentioned that three model HOK-6 U.S. war watercrafts last Sunday afternoon stopped a wooden fishing boat heading to Socotra from Lahj's Ra'as Al-Qarah coast with 17 fishermen aboard.

One fisherman said their boat was besieged from three directions, with three armed Marines jumping into the boat and ordering the fishermen to raise their hands while they searched the boat for arms or those who weren't fishermen.

Wishing to remain anonymous, the same fisherman mentioned that the Marines requested the fishermen sail horizontally for six miles, and then head southeast to their fishing destination of Socotra. He affirmed that U.S. Marines had stopped and checked many fishing boats in Aden Gulf and the international passage.

He added that Yemeni coast guard forces two weeks ago requested fishermen in Aden Gulf and those near Socotra to be careful and to specify the amount of fuel aboard, as well as their names. Additionally, fishermen were asked to leave a copy of their identity cards at the closest coast guard checkpoint, as similarly demanded by U.S. Marines at sea.
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