Philippine President Duterte orders the release of 17 Vietnamese fishermen.

According to NHK, news from the Philippines indicates that President Rodrigo Duterte will attend the release ceremony for 17 Vietnamese fishermen arrested for illegal fishing in the country on November 2nd.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Source: AFP/VNA)

According to the Philippine Inquirer newspaper, the Philippine leader requested the release of the Vietnamese fishermen to "express the goodwill of the Philippines," following his two-day visit to Vietnam in September.

The fishermen on the three fishing vessels were arrested on September 8 and subsequently charged with illegal fishing, but a prosecutor in the province where they were arrested dropped the charges on October 7 after the fishermen claimed they had drifted into the Philippines "to escape Typhoon Ferdie."

According to Vietnamplus