The group that attempted to enter Sabah through Tuaran waters from the Philippines.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah maritime authorities have seized a local fishing boat suspected of smuggling 12 people into the state through the northern waters of Tuaran.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director for Sabah and Labuan First Admiral Datuk Che Engku Suhaimi Che Engku Daik said the boat was intercepted as it was heading into Tanjung Luk Pisuk waters in Tuaran at about 5.45pm on Saturday (Jan 20).
He said the skipper and 12 passengers, aged between 14 and 70, were detained and the boat was seized to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom), the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Sabah Ports and Docks Enactment 2002.
He said the vessel's licence did not contain the boat owner's name while all 12 passengers did not produce the proper documents.
He said one passenger had a Malaysian identity card, another had a social visit pass, four of them presented birth certificates and the rest of them had no documents at all.
Among the passengers was a 52-year-old blind man; a family consisting of a father, his son and two daughters, the children ranging in age from 14 to 23; and four women between the ages of 55 and 60.
He said the fishing boat was first detected entering Sabah waters on radar under the Sabah Sea Surveillance System (Swasla), after which vessels operating in the vicinity were ordered to intercept it.
He said MMEA would not hesitate to act against those trying to sneak into the state.
He urged the maritime community to constantly help the MMEA by providing information on crimes or suspicious activities at sea.
