By Aida Aziz
Photo Maritim Perak
PARIT BUNTAR: Two Myanmar fishermen were arrested along with a glass fiber boat carrying 180 units of illegal fish traps at a position of 2.1 nautical miles southwest of Pulau Terong, near here, yesterday afternoon.
According to the Director of the Maritime Zone Kuala Kurau, Maritime Commander Mohd Najhan Azman Hamid, the boat involved was commandeered by the Malaysian Maritime patrol team conducting routine patrols in the Kerian and Larut Matang waters.
He said the boat was found engaging in fishing activities and was suspected of using illegal fish traps when intercepted for inspection.
“The inspection results found a total of three fishermen, including the captain, who were aged between 28 and 48 years, on the involved boat.
“The captain of the involved boat is a local fisherman, while the rest are fishermen from Myanmar and do not have valid identification documents,” he said.
“Further inspection of the documents revealed that the involved boat has a license but is not operated directly by the owner, and there is no authorization for the use of foreign crew members, according to the Director-General of Fisheries Malaysia,” he stated in a statement here today.
He mentioned that the boat’s engine was different from what was registered, and 180 units of illegal fish traps estimated to be worth almost RM13,000 were also discovered during the inspection.
“All the fishermen, boat, and fish traps were detained and handed over to the Malaysian Maritime investigators for further action.
“The case is being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for residing in Malaysia without valid identification documents, Section 11(3)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for operating fishing equipment without a valid license, and Section 11(3)(b) of the same act for possessing unregistered fishing gear,” he said.
Maritime Malaysia calls upon fishermen to always adhere to the established laws for the common well-being.
For any complaints, misconduct, and emergency incidents at sea, the public can report to the Maritime Zone Operations Center Kuala Kurau at 05-7279919 or call MERS 999 for immediate action.
