By Balqis Jazimah Zahari
Photo APMM
KUALA KURAU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM), through the Kuala Kurau Maritime Zone, arrested a class A local fishing boat with three Indonesian fishermen at a position 5.13 nautical miles southwest of the Kuala Gula estuary, yesterday afternoon.
Kuala Kurau Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Commander Mohd Najhan Azman Hamid said that during a routine patrol in the waters of Kerian and Larut Matang, the Maritime patrol boat team detected the boat and brought it in for inspection.
“The result of the inspection found a total of three Indonesian fishermen, including a skipper, aged between 26 and 32 years old, who were on the boat.
“The three fishermen have valid identification documents but their tour passes have expired.
“Further inspection found that the boat had a license but was not operated by the owner himself and there was no permission to employ a foreign crew. This was explained by the Malaysian Director General of Fisheries,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
He said that all fishermen, boats and fishing equipment were detained and taken to the Kuala Kurau Maritime Zone Jetty for further action.
Therefore, he said, the case was investigated in accordance with Section 15 (1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for staying in Malaysia beyond the prescribed time and Section 8 (b) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for violating the valid conditions of the license, i.e. the boat was not operated by the owner and no permission to employ a foreign crew.
