Fish bombing: Cooperation between agencies needed to combat menace

KOTA KINABALU: Strong cooperation between the various enforcement agencies and authorities in Sabah is needed if the government is serious about putting an end to fish bombing, says Sabah Marine Police Commander ACP Mohamad Pajeri Ali.

He said it was not an easy task to put a stop to the activity once and for all.

“Fish bombing has been around for years, and for us marine police, our job is to catch suspected offenders,” he said.

He said the marine police also had to look out for other illegal activities, such as preventing cross-border crimes like smuggling and kidnapping and fishing activities by foreign vessels.

ACP Pajeri said when it came to fish bombing, the agencies involved in monitoring and taking action were Sabah Parks, Fisheries Department and even Immigration, as most of the time offenders were either undocumented or illegal immigrants.

“So we cannot move alone if we want to stop fish bombing,” he said.

He added that the use of pump boats was also a reason why offenders could get away easily as these vessels were fast and could be used in shallow waters.

Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director for Sabah Rear Admiral Kamaruszaman Abu Hassan has called for a total ban of these pump boats as they posed many security threats.

“More so because those involved are mainly undocumented people such as the sea gypsies who are stateless, as well as illegal immigrants,” he said.

He added that the MMEA themselves have their own patrols and operations against crime at sea, but it was not possible for them to tackle all the potential threats on their own.

“Every security agency has its own role to play, but to ensure that these threats are dealt with and activities such as fish bombings are stopped, we need everyone to be on board,” Kamaruszaman said.

He said it took strong political will from the government to put an end to these problems as well.

“This is not a single issue, this involves immigration laws, environmental matters, crime and political will,” he said.

He said apart from strong cooperation between the various agencies, the state government had to ensure that all laws could be enforced and put in place.

Fish bombing has recently claimed the lives of three people in Semporna – two Chinese tourists and a local dive instructor.