Kelantan MMEA nabs five foreign fishermen, seizes items worth RM1.5 million

PASIR PUTEH - The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) seized a fishing vessel and detained its skipper along with four Vietnamese crew members for illegally fishing in Malaysian waters last Monday.

Kelantan MMEA director maritime captain Syed Nor Adli Syed Abdul Rahman said the Vietnamese fishermen were detained by a team carrying out the Op Damai Khas Kuda Laut and Op Naga Barat patrol some 173 nautical miles southeast of the Tok Bali estuary at about 9.20 am.

"To avoid being arrested, the fishermen threw a rope into the sea, hoping that it would strike the blades of our patrol boat.

"However, our team managed to detain the foreign vessel,” he told a press conference at the MMEA office in Tok Bali here today.

Syed Nor Adli checks found that all the foreign fishermen, including a skipper, aged between 24 and 31, did not have any valid identification documents.

"Further inspection found one tonne of marine catch on the vessel. We also seized fishing equipment, navigation and communication devices, and 7,000 litres of diesel, which are estimated to be worth RM1.5 million.

"The case is being investigated under Section 15(1)(a), 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985, and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1963,” he added.

Meanwhile, Syed Nor Adli said that, so far, the Kelantan MMEA has detained 23 foreign fishermen for encroaching into Malaysian waters.

He said of the total, 18 were Vietnamese nationals and the rest were from Thailand. - BERNAMA