MMEA detains two Vietnamese boats including 14-year-old crew member

Kelantan MMEA deputy director Maritime Commander Khairun Dalilah Baharin with the detained Vietnamese fishermen at the Kelantan MMEA jetty in Tok Bali, on Oct 1. - Bernama

PASIR PUTEH, Oct 1 (Bernama): Kelantan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA) Ops Kuda Laut has uncovered that Vietnamese fishermen started to recruit teenagers to work on their vessels when carrying out illegal fishing in Malaysia’s territorial waters.

Its deputy director, Maritime Commander Khairun Dalilah Baharin said the matter was discovered when the agency detained two teenagers aged 14 and 17, who were among the 19 crew members of two Vietnamese fishing boats it had detained on Tuesday.