Twelve Chinese fishermen were handed long prison terms on Tuesday for illegal fishing in the Philippines after their ship ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef. The 12 were arrested in April last year after their boat hit and badly damaged the reef. Boat captain Liu Chiangjie and his crew had pleaded not guilty, telling the Puerto Princesa regional trial court that they had merely got lost. However, judge Ambrosio de Luna rejected the explanation as “highly incredible and unbelievable”.

Bauzon, B. C. V. (2014, August 6). 12 Chinese jailed for illegal fishing. The Manila Times, p. A7.