The Malaysian Insight

FISHERMEN from Terengganu have urged authorities to stop foreign fishing boats from fishing in Malaysian waters, says Kuala Terengganu MP Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad.

Raja Bahrin said the government should emulate Indonesia to stop foreign boats from invading Malaysian waters.

“I recently met 40 fishermen at the Fisherman’s Jetty in Pulau Kambing in Terengganu who said that when Vietnamese fishermen are caught in our waters, they would be released quickly.

“This is in contrast to Indonesia who destroy their boats when they are seized,” said Raja Bahrin during a press conference in Parliament today.

On November 9, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Shahidan Kassim told Dewan Rakyat that there were 63 cases of Vietnamese fishermen caught as of Oct 16 compared to 39 arrests last year.

“The fines that the Vietnamese boat owners have to pay is only between RM2,000 and RM3,000 compared to their catch that can be worth hundreds of thousands of ringgit,” said Raja Bahrin.

On October 14, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia had lost RM6 billion a year to illegal fishing and directed the authorities to tackle the problem.

“We lost between RM3 billion and RM6 billion a year to foreign fishermen who robbed the seas in our country.

“Better enforcement is important to safeguard the interests of our fishermen who supply us with seafood,” Zahid was reported as saying in Berita Harian. – November 13, 2017.