Kelantan MMEA detains two Vietnamese boats, seizes items worth RM3mil

PASIR PUTEH: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained two Vietnamese fishing boats for encroaching and carrying out fishing activities in Kelantan waters at a distance of approximately 46.3 and 48.8 nautical miles from the Tok Bali estuary here on Wednesday (Dec 22).

Kelantan Deputy Director of Maritime Operations Maritime Commander Khairun Dalilah Baharin said the first boat was detected at 1.25 pm with 18 crew members including the skipper, while the second boat with five crew members including the skipper was detected at 2 pm.

"Inspections found that the two boats did not have permits to fish under the Fisheries Act 1985," said Khairun.

"All 23 crew members from the two boats are Vietnamese citizens between the ages of 18 and 47 and do not have any valid identity documents," she added at a press conference at the Kelantan MMEA office on Friday (Dec 24).

She then said that all the suspects tested negative for Covid-19.

Khairun Dalilah also said that the MMEA seized two boats, about 1,000 kilogrammes of fish, fishing equipment and 1,700 litres of diesel with a total value of about RM3 million.

"The case will be investigated under Section 15 (1) (a) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for fishing or attempting to catch fish without the permission of the Director-General of the Fisheries Department of Malaysia and Section 16 (3) of the same act," she said. - Bernama