GEORGE TOWN: Two fish farm workers near Pulau Jerejak here have been arrested by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) over an apparent breach of the Fisheries Act 1985.
Penang MMEA director Kapt Abd Razak Mohamed said the suspects, a 31-year-old male Nepali national and a 40-year-old local man, were detained during a routine Ops Pertiwi patrol by the agency's enforcement team.
"Their boat was spotted 0.18 nautical miles (about 330m) south of Pulau Jerejak at 9.15am on Tuesday (Sept 13)," he said here on Wednesday (Sept 14).
He said the suspects, who did not produce valid identification documents, were detained and brought to the marine police in Batu Uban before being handed over to an officer for further investigation.
The case is being investigated under Section 8 (b) of the Act for violating the requirements for a licence by not using a fully local workforce.
He advised fish farm owners not to employ foreign citizens without express consent from the Malaysian Fisheries director.
"We will take stern action if we find the owner failed to adhere to the rules," he said.
He also urged anyone, especially fishermen, to report suspicious activities in Malaysian waters to MMEA or other maritime agencies.
"For complaints of maritime offences at sea or emergencies, the public can call our hotline at 04-262 6146 or MERS 999," he added.
