POLICE STATEMENT ON THE ITALIAN FISHING BOAT CASE

ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - The Interior Ministry has released a statement on an incident invovling a captain of an Italian fishing boat who was injured when he tried to escape from Croatian waters. A radar station of the Croatian military navy late last night alerted marine police in Sibenik of a 'mystery vessel' somewhere around the Kornat archipelego. A police patrol caught the Italian fishing boat 'Marisella' (registered 4 PC-468) trawling in Croatian waters, 3.1 nautical miles from state borders, the statement said. At police insistence, the Italian captain removed the trawl net from the sea but promptly took off in full speed towards international waters in a brazen attempt to escape further police communication. A hot chase through stormy seas ensued with the plucky captain ignoring all forms of warning signals and the fishing boat going full speed, despite tracer bullets and police rifle shots directly above. A new, successful police tactic followed when they began firing at the boat's cabin and surrounds stopping the fishing boat in its tracks. All this had happened around 2am some 1.7 nautical miles from state borders in Croatia's territorial seas. The 'Marisella' was seized and three crew members told police that their captain had been injured in the drama - receiving a shot to the right side of his jaw and shoulder. A subdued captain Bastianelli Ezio is now in a Sibenik hospital and is not in critical condition, police said. (hina) jn sd rm 231913 MET mar 95