Date:13/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/13/stories/2008071357940100.htm

Front Page

Iran releases 22 Indian crew, boats

Dubai: Iran has released 22 Indian crew aboard Saudi fishing boats that were seized last week after the vessels allegedly strayed into its waters near its first under-construction nuclear power plant.

“Iran on Thursday released five vessels which were held for two weeks after they entered Iranian territorial waters,” said the head of the Saudi border guard in the Eastern province, General Abdurrahman al-Brahim.

According to al-Brahim, the boats and the 22 Indian crew on board returned “safely” to Darin, on the Saudi east coast, Iranian ‘Press TV’ reported.

“Bushehr sea-guard patrols stopped four foreign fishing boats on the strength of border violation and illegal fishing on Iranian waters,” Reza Mohmmadi-Yeganeh, police commander of Iran’s Bushehr province was quoted as saying by Iranian media on July 3.

The boats were seized around 30 nautical miles from the tightly-guarded Bushehr nuclear plant, off Iran’s coast. — PTI