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GEORGE TOWN – The Penang Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), in collaboration with the Australian Border Force (ABF), held a special program aimed at educating the fishing community in Teluk Kumbar to be the authorities’ eyes and ears in combating drug and human smuggling crimes.
Penang MMEA director Maritime Captain Abd Razak Mohamed said the fishermen have been providing intelligence to the agency for a long time.
Commander Ky Blackman from the ABF was also brought in today to share his knowledge.
He said the fishing community plays an important role in sharing information with the authorities to combat drug and human smuggling crimes, for which Penang has always been used as a transit point.
“ABF has a lot of information about smuggling and we need to continue working with the fishermen to identify the ‘hotspot’ areas,” he told reporters after the Redback XVII Special Operation here today.
In addition, he said, the programme is organised to educate the fishermen on their safety when they are at sea apart from distributing safety equipment to them.
Blackman advised the fishermen to bring a life jacket when going out to sea, make sure the boat is in good condition; place their mobile phones in plastic wrap so they don’t get in the water, and inform their family before leaving the shore. – Bernama, September 7, 2022
