Bahrain slams Qatar’s boat interception
Bahrain has condemned the Qatari coastguard’s interception of two Bahraini boats, asserting that the incident took place in its territorial waters.
On Wednesday, three Qatari coastguard vessels intercepted two Bahraini boats during their return from an exercise, the Bahraini Interior Ministry said.
The Qatari patrols did not carry any flag as dictated by international norms while the Bahraini boats carried the Bahraini flag and the Interior Ministry’s emblem, it added. The ministry hailed what it described as the “level of discipline, professionalism and self-restraint” shown by captains of the two Bahraini boats in handling the incident against the “hostile behaviour” shown by the Qatari side.
Over the past 10 years, Qatar has intercepted around 650 boats and 2,153 people in violation of a situation that persisted for over 200 years in pearl catching and fishing, the ministry said.
