MMEA nabs four illegals, three local teens in Penang Waters
04 Jan 2023 07:32pm
The Penang Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained seven individuals, including three local teenagers following inspections of two local fishing boats in the state’s waters yesterday.
Its director, Maritime Captain Abd Razak Mohamed said the first inspection was conducted on a C-class fishing boat at a position 17 nautical miles southwest of Pulau Kendi, near here at 9.43 am.
"The boat based in Bagan Panchor, Perak was operated by four crew members from Myanmar, aged between 35 and 40. Three of them did not possess any valid identification documents while the fourth crewman was believed to have had dubious identification documents.
"They have been detained and are being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for having no permit from the director-general of Fisheries Malaysia and the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said in a statement today.
Abd Razak said the second fishing boat, Class A category, based in Sungai Udang, near here was detained at 2.8 nautical miles west of Batu Kawan.
He said when the boat was detained, there were three local crew members aged 12 to 16 manning the boat that was believed to have been on its way to a nearby fish cage.
All of them were detained on suspicion of committing an offence under the Fisheries Act 1985 and the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966.
"The Penang MMEA has found that there are still operators or boat owners who are still stubborn and use undocumented foreigners to work on their boats.
"We will take stern action against boat operators or employers who employ or exploit underaged workers,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
