Philippines orders nine Chinese fishermen freed after poaching conviction in disputed Spratlys

A Philippine court has ordered the release of nine Chinese fishermen who served a year in prison for poaching and taking hundreds of endangered giant sea turtles from a disputed South China Sea shoal, a court staffer said today.

Judge Ambrosio de Luna of the regional trial court in western Palawan province issued the order after the fishermen’s lawyer moved for their release, acting clerk of court Lourdes Dadule said.

In his order yesterday, De Luna gave instructions to jail officials to release the fishermen to the immigration bureau because all have served their prison sentence of six months for each of the two crimes. The prosecution did not object.

Dadule said the motion filed by the fishermen’s lawyer was required despite the men serving out their sentence. She said it would be up to the immigration bureau to arrange for the fishermen’s deportation.

Acting Palawan provincial jail warden Alejo Acosta said the men were temporarily still in his custody as of today because the immigration office in Palawan has no facility to hold them while they wait for the Chinese consul who will accompany them on their flight out of Palawan.

The fishermen were arrested in May 6, 2014, at Half Moon Shoal and their boat and catch of 555 endangered sea turtles were seized.

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