The accused at the Kuching Court Complex after the end of the proceedings today.
KUCHING (March 14): The skipper of a Vietnamese fishing boat was slapped with a RM1 million fine while ten of his crew members were fined RM200,000 each by the Magistrate’s Court here today.
They were caught fishing illegally in Malaysian waters some 213.8 nautical miles from Tanjung Sirik around 10.45am on Feb 4.
Judge Musli Ab Hamid sentenced the captain, Duong Minh Ly, 58, to six months in prison, while the 10 crew members aged between 22 and 47 were sentenced to three months imprisonment in default of the fine.
They pleaded guilty after the charge framed under Section 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985 (Act 317) read together with Subsection 24 of the same Act punishable under Section 25(a) of the same Act were read to them.
According to the charge, all of the accused had failed to notify an authorised officer through radio, telex, or facsimile in English or Bahasa Malaysia their boat’s country flag, location, destination, species and quantity of fish in their possession and their intention for entering Malaysian waters.
Based on the facts of the case, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) came across the boat in the area and carried out an inspection onboard the foreign fishing boat.
Inspections revealed that all of the 11 individuals on board have failed to notify the Malaysian authorities for entering the nation’s waters, which is an offence under Section 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985.
MMEA also seized the boat and its equipment as well as 500kg of fish that were found in its storage.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yong Ann Nee prosecuted while all of the accused were represented by lawyer Andin Linton.
