Big catch: Mohd Firdaus (right) inspecting the Vietnamese fishing boats seized through Ops Naga Barat at a press conference at the Terengganu Maritime Headquarters. — Bernama
KUANTAN: The Pahang Immigration Department has repatriated 60 Indonesians, comprising 46 men and 14 women.
It said they were deported using a ferry service from the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex in Melaka to Dumai Port in Indonesia on Saturday.“The illegal immigrants, who were detained at the Kemayan Immigration Depot, Bera, had completed serving their sentences for various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63, Immigration Regulations 1963, and various other offences,” it said in a statement on its Facebook page, Bernama reported.
The move is part of the continuous enforcement activities carried out by the department.
In KUALA TERENGGANU, the state Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained two Vietnamese fishing vessels and 12 crew members, including skippers, for trespassing on the state’s waters last week.
Its deputy director (operations) Mohd Firdaus Mohd Anuar said the boats were detained by KM Pekan during Ops Naga Barat at 155 nautical miles from the Kuala Terengganu estuary on Thursday.
He said in addition to boats, fishing and squid fishing equipment, diesel and marine products worth RM3mil were seized.
“After an hour of giving chase, the two foreign vessels were detained. The 12 crew members, aged 19 to 35, were arrested.
“The inspection found that all of them did not have valid identification documents. The case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1963,” he said at a press conference at the Terengganu maritime jetty yesterday.
Mohd Firdaus said MMEA was increasing patrols in the state’s waters to curb foreign fishermen’s encroachment with the arrival of the squid season.
According to him, this year, a total of 10 fishing vessels and 73 foreign fishermen had been detained for trespassing, with seizures worth around RM10mil.
