Rohingya fishermen conquer Teluk Kumbar, no proper permits

GEORGETOWN – The locals in Teluk Kumbar, Bayan Lepas, here are distressed by the increasing number of Rohingya fishermen in the area as they do not have proper permits to fish.

Although it was not a new occurrence, the number of sampans owned by the Rohingya has increased from 20 to around 70 this year.

Teluk Kumbar Fishermen Unit Head Roslizan Ramli, 41, said from only a few families about 10 years ago, the Rohingya ethnic group in the fishing village and Sahabat Flat in Teluk Kumbar grew to almost 300 families.

“These people come from Langkawi, Kedah. There were not many of them before, but now they are increasing. Most of the Rohingyas were self-employed and worked as fishermen.

"This is a problem for local fishermen because we have to compete with 'foreign fishermen',” he said when contacted by Sinar Ahad.

He added fish merchants were willing to invest thousands of ringgits to purchase the catch and they did not care who they dealt with, whether it was local or foreign fishermen, as long as they had the products.

Roslizan said what was more frustrating was the Rohingya fishermen did not have valid fishing licenses and permits.

“We (local fishermen) have a hard time registering and complying with all the conditions set by the government to go to sea, but they fished without any permit.

"We do not think it is fair. There is no problem with sharing the sea produce but they need to follow the existing rules and laws,” he said.

Meanwhile, a resident of Teluk Kumbar known as Aqilah said the influx of Rohingya ethnics renting around the village and the Taman Sahabat Flats caused inconvenience to the locals as they did not maintain the cleanliness of the area around their homes.

Another resident from Taman Terubuk, Seberang Perai, known as Mohamad, said that the issue of hygiene among the group was a problem to the community as cleanliness was not maintained.