MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

China asks “humanitarian” treatment for poachers.

Beijing called on Peruvian authorities Tuesday to treat the 192 Chinese fishermen caught poaching in Peru's territorial waters in a “humanitarian manner” and reiterated its desire for a diplomatic solution to the incident.

"We have repeatedly asked Chinese fisherman and vessels to respect international agreements and regulations" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhang Qiyue reported during a press conference in Beijing.

The Peruvian Navy arrested and escorted to the port of Callao, the country's main sea terminal nine Chinese vessels with a total 192 crew members and charged them with illegal fishing. Apparently the vessels were caught red-handed off the town of Huarmey, 174 miles north of Lima.

Spokesman Zhang Qiyue revealed that Peruvian authorities reported the incident to Beijing last November 19 and "Chinese authorities immediately opened an inquiry into the matter".

"We're confident that Peruvian authorities will handle the incident appropriately and protect the personal safety and property of the detained fishermen", added Mr. Zhang Qiyue.

In Lima the Peruvian Navy's Pacific Unit anticipated the poachers would have to pay a fine "no less than 2,5 million US dollars", and described the massive arrest as "one not seen the fifties".

"All crewmembers will remain onboard and their rights will be respected", said Rear Admiral Carlos Tubino Arias, head of the Pacific Unit.

According to the official report the vessels had 690 tons of flying squid in their hauls and were equipped with state of the art technology and satellite tracking systems. Apparently they were operating in Peru's EEZ and transhipping to cold storage vessels in international waters.

However the arrest was "resisted" with evasive manoeuvres and later some of the vessels' engines were sabotaged. Some Chinese crewmembers even threatened the Peruvian naval observers who boarded the vessels from helicopters.

The Peruvian Embassy in Beijing said it could not comment on the status of the arrested fishermen or on how bilateral talks were evolving.