The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has seized a trawler suspected of breaching its valid licence conditions after it was intercepted near the mouth of Sungai Kedah early yesterday.
Kuala Kedah Maritime Zone director Commander Maritime Noor Azreyanti Ishak said the vessel was detected behaving suspiciously following intelligence received by the agency. A patrol boat subsequently moved in and stopped the trawler for inspection.
Checks found that the vessel was being operated by a skipper and three crew members, with an amount of fuel suspected to exceed the capacity permitted under its licence conditions. Further inspection uncovered about 13,000 litres of suspected diesel stored in the vessel’s tanks.
Noor Azreyanti said the alleged breach was an offence under the Fisheries Act 1985. The vessel, its crew and the seized items were brought to the Kuala Kedah Maritime Zone headquarters jetty for further investigation.
She said the seizure demonstrated the importance of intelligence-sharing and swift action by enforcement personnel in tackling violations at sea. MMEA, she added, would not compromise with parties found breaching laws or established licence conditions.
Meanwhile, in IPOH, 41 Indonesian illegal immigrants were sentenced to three months in prison by the Seri Manjung Magistrate’s Court yesterday after pleading guilty to entering Malaysia through an unauthorised route last month.
Perak Maritime director Captain Maritime Mohamad Shukri Khotob said all 41 individuals were charged under Section 5(2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. Two of them were also charged at the Sessions Court under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM).
He said the Sessions Court cases had been mentioned and would proceed through the legal process, including a possible transfer to the High Court.
The group was detained during an MMEA Perak operation after an Indonesian fishing vessel carrying the 41 illegal immigrants was detected in Malaysian waters near Teluk Senangin, close to Batu Malang, on July 31.
Mohamad Shukri said the vessel’s skipper allegedly attempted to evade inspection and made dangerous manoeuvres, resulting in the vessel ramming the MMEA patrol boat four times.
Despite the aggressive movements, enforcement personnel managed to contain the vessel and bring it under control at about 3.35am. No MMEA personnel were injured in the incident.
He said the successful prosecution reflected the agency’s commitment to ensuring enforcement action was followed by the appropriate legal process. MMEA would continue strengthening intelligence operations, patrols and enforcement efforts to curb migrant smuggling and other illegal activities in Malaysian waters.
The agency also urged members of the public to report suspicious maritime activities or emergencies through MERS 999, the Kuala Kedah Maritime Zone Operations Centre at 04-7310579, or the Perak Maritime State Operations Centre at 05-6838737 so that immediate action can be taken.
