KUCHING: Two fishing boats from Vietnam with a total of 22 crew including the skipper were seized by the state Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA for encroaching into Sarawak waters about 185 nautical miles from Tanjung Po.
According to the state MMEA chief, First Admiral Ismaili Bujang Pit, the vessels were spotted at 8.45am on August 10, and upon inspection, a total of 22 crew were found fishing using the ‘Gading’ trawling net in state waters.
“This time, we are lucky to get both trawlers and all of them will be investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985,” Ismaili told a press conference held at the state MMEA headquarters at Jalan Muara Tebas here yesterday.
He revealed that vessels were seized based on information given by the maritime community to MMEA.
“We always welcome any form of information from the maritime community. Do report to us any activity that is against the law,” he said.
Ismaili also pointed that a total of 316 Vietnamese had been arrested this year compared to only 189 last year.
“We have informed the government that the situation is serious and we believe there must be a syndicate.
“Some local Sarawakians are also involved in this syndicate, too,” he added..
All the Vietnamese fishing crew were arrested under the Fisheries Act 1985, and if found guilty, the boat and the fishing equipment can be seized, and the skipper together with the crew are liable to fines not exceeding RM1 million or RM100,000 for each crew, or imprisonment.
