SHAH ALAM: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) of Selangor detained a boat and four Myanmar crew for poaching in Malaysian waters off Pulau Ketam yesterday.
Selangor MMEA director Capt (Maritime) Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the poachers were caught under ‘Op Ehsan’ and ‘Op Tiris’ while using a trawl net on a local Class C fishing boat at a location 17.5 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Ketam at about 7 pm.
The crew, aged between 26 and 39, did not have proper identification documents, he said in a statement.
The four foreigners and the boat were brought to the Pulau Indah Marine Police jetty and handed over to an MMEA investigating officer, he added.
Abdul Muhaimin said the case was being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for violation of the conditions of the licence, which is using foreigners on fishing vessels without the written permission of the Director-General of the Malaysian Fisheries Department, as well as the Immigration Act 1959/63 for the offence of employing foreign crew without a valid permit. -Bernama