In Kuching, Vietnamese boat skipper fined RM1 mln, crew RM100k each for encroachment

KUCHING (Aug 7): The skipper of a Vietnamese fishing boat was fined RM1 million in default six months in jail by the Sessions Court here today for encroaching into Malaysian waters in June this year.

Judge Saiful Bahari Adzmi also meted out a fine of RM100,000 on each of the boat’s 20 crew members in default five months in jail for the same offence.

This was after skipper Nguyen Van Co and his crew pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985 read together with Subsection 24 of the same Act, and punishable under Section 25(a) of the same Act.

According to the charge, Nguyen and his crew members had failed to inform an authorised official by radio, telex or facsimile in English or Bahasa Malaysia, to identify themselves as well as their location and destination.

They committed the offence at 114.9 nautical miles from Tanjung Sirik, Sarawak at around 1.37pm on June 19.

They were arrested after their boat was intercepted by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) personnel during an operation.

Among the items seized were 1,000kg of fish, 1,000 litres of diesel, satellite phone, and two Very High Frequency radios.

The Department of Fisheries Malaysia later confirmed that the boat was not locally-registered.

Deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Azham Marwan prosecuted, while Nguyen and his crew members were unrepresented.