The trial of nine Chinese fishermen caught in the Philippines for possession of endangered turtles last month was delayed on Tuesday because of an unavailability of a qualified interpreter. An unnamed prosecutor claimed that the lack of interpreter is due to China, who is trying to block the charges, Reuters reported.

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The Chinese fishermen pleaded not guilty on May 6 for violation of a United Nations convention on trading of endangered species after they were caught by authorities in the Half Moon shoal, well within the Philippines' 200 mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

According to Philippine maritime authorities, 120 live and 234 dead turtles were found in the Chinese boat, most of which had their eyes pierced and were tied through their eye sockets to prevent escape.

The prosecutor said that a Chinese businessman based in Palawan usually acts as the court-appointed interpreter but has declined to be one for this case because of pressure from China.

"There was an apparent pressure from the Chinese embassy. These people are conducting business in China and they do not want to get involved in the case," a member of the prosecution said.

Meanwhile, Beijing has vetoed the charges saying that the fishermen were caught in Chinese waters thereby making the arrest invalid and demanded the immediate release of the fishermen.

The Chinese embassy in the Philippines has also denied allegations of blocking the hiring of an interpreter.

Court-appointed lawyers for the accused also said that they are having trouble with acquiring certifications from the Chinese embassy that they can handle the criminal case, which is a requirement for indigent litigants. Moreover, the accused were refusing the help of the court-appointed lawyers, insisting that they were within Chinese territory, ANC has learned.

To date, two pre-trial hearings have already been postponed. The Department of Foreign Affairs has been requested by the court for an official interpreter to avoid a delay in the proceedings.

Philippine maritime authorities had initially apprehended 11 Chinese fishermen on May 6 but released 2 of them because they were minors.

Tagsendangered turtle, animal abuse, endangered species, United Nations violation, trading of endangered species, protected species, Half Moon shaol, chinese fisherman, caught