PUTRAJAYA: The Marine Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has assured that patrols and monitoring will be intensified to ensure that the country's waters are safe from the threat of maritime criminals.
However, the agency’s director-general said it has not received reports of a piracy incident in Pantai Remis adding that security in the Straits of Malacca remains under control.
Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the agency is maintaining close cooperation with neighbouring countries such as Indonesia in joint patrols and special exercises in the heavily trafficked waters.
He added that the agency has not received any reports regarding the incident in Pantai Remis, Perak, as claimed in several local media reports.
"On the contrary, the reported incident was a case of extortion by irresponsible parties from neighbouring countries against Local Fishing Vessels in the grey area of the Straits of Malacca," he said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 20).
According to him, cooperation with Indonesia has succeeded in reducing various threats, especially cross-border crime.
Based on the enforcement records of MMEA from 2006 to 2024, a total of 16,259 arrests have been recorded involving various offences at sea.
In addition, the agency also succeeded in thwarting intrusions by foreign fishing vessels during that period by arresting 1,789 foreign vessels along with 15,162 crew members who trespassed into the country's waters.
On Wednesday, Pantai Remis assemblyman Wong May Ing in a press conference with Pantai Remis, Manjung fishermen said that they were facing the threat of piracy from Indonesia which has become increasingly prevalent lately.
Meanwhile, Mohd Rosli urged the fishing community to ensure that their Vessel Traffic System (VTS) is activated at all times in addition to vessel owners providing Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) to locate vessels in the event of an emergency.
"In addition, local vessel owners are recommended to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in their respective vessels to record any untoward incidents that occur while the vessel is at sea," he said.
He also asked the public to channel any information or suspicious activities to the authorities to ensure that the safety of the country's waters continues to be guaranteed. - Bernama
