2 cargo boats go down off Andaman coast

       Two cargo boats have sunk during fierce storms in the Andaman Sea off Phangnga and Satun. There were no casualties.
       Sixteen crewmen were rescued after their Thai-registered cargo ship went down in rough weather yesterday morning off the coast of Takua Pa district in Phangnga.
       The naval rescue team from the 3rd Fleet sent boats to the scene.
       The crew members - seven Thais,four Indonesians and five Burmese were rescued and admitted to the naval base hospital for examination.
       They were later released.A preliminary investigation found the ship,Chart 1 , captained byanIndonesian, was transporting 1,200 teak logs from Burma to Vietnam.
       The wooden boat struggled with the stormy weather and sank after water flowed into the engine room.
       Further south in Satun, another Thairegistered boat carrying seafood to the northern Malaysian state of Perlis sank shortly after it left Tamalung port in Muang district yesterday afternoon.
       Two crews and two passengers, who were not identified, were plucked from the water by marine police.
       The passengers had hired the boat to deliver the seafood but it capsized in heavy rain and gusty winds near Puyu Cape.