RUSSIAN FRONTIER-GUARDS CONTINUE THEIR SEARCHES FOR THE FISHING TRAWLER








VLADIVOSTOK, March 5, 2001 /from RIA Novosti correspondent Anatoly Ilyukhov/ -- On Monday morning, despite the storm and the heavy snowfall, the ships of the Marine Forces of the Russian Federal Frontier Service started to intercept the Russian fishing trawler STM-17 of the Vladivostok company Klemena. 


	As was reported by the press centre of the Pacific regional department of the Federal Frontier Service (FPS), as soon as the weather improves the aviation will join the searching  operation.


	The trawler STM-17 avoided the pursuit of Russian  frontier-guards on February 20. Approaching the neutral waters, the ship hoisted the Japanese flag. This fact made the  frontier-guards stop their pursuit. However, in the Japanese  territorial waters the flag was again replaced with a Russian flag. 


	On Sunday, the trawler STM-17 left the port of Wakkanai on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido where it had been hiding since February 20. -O- (kos/ant) 


	05/03/01    10:58