By: Aida Aziz
Last night, the Perak State Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) detained a class B local fishing boat at a position 0.8 nautical miles west of Segari beach.
Its director, Maritime Captain Mohd Hambali Ya’akup, said the arrest was carried out by a Malaysian Maritime patrol boat which was carrying out a Bypass Operation in the waters of the state of Perak.
“When arrested, the boat operated by the captain of the boat together with a crew of local citizens aged 38 and 40 years old respectively were suspected of committing the offence under Section 8 (b) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for catching fish less than five nautical miles as permitted by the valid conditions of the licence.
“The boat, crew, and catch were handed over to the Perak State Maritime Investigation Officer for further action,” he told reporters on Saturday.
He also said, for any information or complaint of maritime crime, the public can help give information to the Perak State Maritime Operations Center at 05-6838737 or MERS 999 for immediate response.
In the meantime, he said, APMM Perak also invited all Malaysians to watch the film Coast Guard Malaysia: Ops Helang which is currently showing in cinemas nationwide to learn the true role and responsibilities of this enforcement body.
“Maritime Malaysia hopes that the community will be able to cooperate with the agency in combating crime in the country’s waters indirectly to ensure that the safety of the country’s waters is always maintained,” he said.
