MANJUNG: Fishermen in Pantai Remis urge the government to beef up its enforcement and security measures in the Straits of Malacca to safeguard Malaysian fishing vessels.
Pantai Remis assemblyman Wong May Ing said there had been a surge of incidents lately involving pirates and also rogue Indonesian maritime personnel who have forcefully boarded Malaysian deep sea fishing boats.
"There would normally be like three incidents in a year.
"But between December last year and now, I have already received six reports from fishermen that their ships have been attacked," she said in a press conference here on Wednesday (Feb 19).
"There was one incident where a foreign worker was shot dead by pirates.
"Those working on the fishing vessels have no choice sometimes but to surrender to the pirates," she added.
Wong said she understood that the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) only had six patrol boats for patrolling duties.
"These boats can only operate within 40 nautical miles, thus it is a challenge for them to provide help to the fishermen.
"I have already contacted MMEA to hold a meeting with the fishermen to discuss strategies and actions that can be taken when facing these threats and problems," she said.
Wong also urged the government to have discussions with their Indonesian counterparts on the matter, including the issue with borders in the straits.
She said Malaysia and Indonesia had in 1969 signed an agreement dividing the continental shelf between both countries.
"In 2012, both countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on not having claims in overlapping areas, as long as maritime border matters have not been settled," she said.
"As Malaysia is the chair of Asean, I hope the government will bring this issue up officially with Indonesia to come up with solutions," she added.
