Sarikei shop owner fined RM10,300 for unlicensed sale of bird’s nest, dried seahorse

SIBU (July 31): A shop owner was fined a total of RM10,300 by the Sarikei Sessions Court today after he pleaded guilty to unlawfully selling and possessing edible and unprocessed bird’s nest and dried seahorse four years ago.

Ling Sien Chuong was charged under Section 33(2) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, punishable under Section 33(3) of the same Ordinance, with selling edible bird’s nest nests without a licence.

He was also charged under Section 29(2) of the same Ordinance with possessing unprocessed bird’s nest and three units of seahorse without a licence.

The offences were committed at a commercial premises in Jalan Repok, Sarikei at 3.30pm on July 17, 2020.

Judge Stella Augustine Druce meted out a fine of RM2,300 in default six months in jail for the first charge, and RM8,000 in default six months in jail for the second charge.

Ling paid the fine.

According to the facts of the case, wildlife officers from the Sarawak Forestry Corporation raided the premises and found several display boxes containing edible bird’s nest inside.

A check of Ling’s licence to sell the items found that it had expired in 2019 and had not been renewed.

Ling was also found to have in his possession dried seahorse specimens which he did not have permission from the Controller of Wild Life to sell, following the expiry of his licence previously issued in 2018.

In mitigation, the accused, represented by lawyer Yong Siew Hui, told the court that he overlooked the renewal of his licence due to unavoidable circumstances.

In pleading for a lenient sentence, he cited his full cooperation throughout the investigation and that he is his family’s sole breadwinner.

The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ronald Felix Hardin, assisted by prosecuting officers Simon Engka Crown and Leonard Baring.