MMEA nabs five for fish-bombing off Sabah's Mengalum island

KOTA KINABALU: Five men were arrested for fishing using explosives off Mengalum island, some 56km northwest of the Sabah capital.

The suspects, believed to be Filipinos, were stopped by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) at about 11.50am on Thursday (July 4).

Sabah and Labuan MMEA director First Admiral Datuk Che Engku Suhaimi Che Engku Daik said the men were also found without valid personal documents.

“They were found with marine life suspected of being caught using explosives,” he said, in a statement on Saturday (July 6).

The skipper, he said, failed to produce a valid boat registration licence, adding that their pumpboat was subsequently seized.

“We are also investigating the case under the Fisheries Act 1985 and Immigration Act,” he said.

Che Engku advised fishermen as well as others in the maritime community not to use explosives or any other illegal means to catch fish.