MANJUNG: Fishermen in Pantai Remis are living in fear of their vessels being attacked by pirates, while claiming that rogue foreign maritime enforcement personnel are making things worse.
According to fishery owner Dominic See, there were six incidents between December and February of Malaysian deep sea fishing boats being harassed in the Straits of Malacca.
He said usually, there would be about three incidents a year, adding that the recent surge had become a cause for concern.
“One of my fishing boats was approached by pirates on Feb 14. Armed with a gun and three machetes, they boarded the vessel and forced my workers into the storage area and they destroyed our fishing nets worth about RM40,000,” he told a press conference organised by Pantai Remis assemblyman Wong May Ing here yesterday.
See, 32, said the pirates also stole equipment on the ship, including the GPS and his workers’ mobile phones.
“One of my workers injured his arm but thankfully, no lives were lost,” he added.
Another operator, who only wanted to be known as Issac, said the attacks also affected the hiring of foreign hands.
“Some fishermen are planning to quit, as it is hard to carry on without foreign workers,” he said, calling for a special team to be set up to resolve the issue.
“We want the government and the authorities to protect our fishermen at sea, especially near the (Malaysia-Indonesia) border,” he added.
Issac, 36, said one of his workers, a Thai national, was killed by pirates in an incident in January last year.
“There were seven to eight pirates armed with guns and machetes. My worker tried to cut the ropes hooked to the ship with a knife, and he was shot as the pirates thought he was trying to retaliate,” he said.
Wong believed that there could be more cases, including those from Kerian and Hutan Melintang.
“I have contacted the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to hold a meeting with the fishermen to discuss strategies and actions that can be taken when facing these threats and problems,” she added.
