The Indonesian fishing boat captain and his crew members at Kuching Court Complex today.
KUCHING (April 29): The captain of an Indonesian fishing boat was fined RM1 million in default six months’ jail, while three of his crew members were each fined RM100,000 in default six months’ jail by the Sessions Court here today for encroaching into Malaysian waters in March, this year.
Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman meted out the fine against fishing boat captain Hamsu Rajukin and his crew members Firdaus, Hendrik and Redo, after they pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985 (Act 317), which was read together with Subsection 24 of the same Act and sentenced under Section 25(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985.
According to the charge, Hamsu, Firdaus, Hendrik and Redo 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 52.6 nautical miles from Tanjung Sirik, Sarawak around 4.25am on March 8, 2024
Based on the facts of the case, a team of officers from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained the boat and arrested the captain and his crew members during an operation.
Among the items seized during the operation were a magnetic compass unit, a GPS unit, a generator unit, a diesel supply of about 250 litres, and 150 kilogrammes of fish.
The Department of Fisheries Malaysia confirmed that the vessel was a foreign fishing vessel and was not registered.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhamad Azham Marwan prosecuted the case while the accused were unrepresented by counsel.
