Five Filipinos arrested for hunting endangered sea turtles

SEMPORNA: An ongoing intelligence gathering effort paid off when authorities stopped five Filipinos from hunting endangered sea turtles in waters of Terumbu Batura, off the east coast Semporna district.
Semporna Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Maritime Lt Commander Kama Azri Kamil said the men were arrested, and 25 turtle shells and more than 100kg of meat were found on their boat at about 12.40am today.
He said the five men, aged between 19 and 50, did not have any identification documents on them.
"We received intelligence report saying there is a rampant endangered species being hunt at the scene.
"Besides turtle meats, the enforcement personnel also found few turtle organs in the boat," Kama Azri said in a statement today.
He said the five men were detained under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, punishable under Section 41(4) of the same Enactment, which provides for a jail term of up to three years, or a fine of up to RM100,000, or both.
"They have also being detained under Immigration Act for further action. We are continuously monitoring activities in waters off Semporna to prevent any illegal activity there," he added.
In collaboration with various agencies, the Fisheries Department had in 2015 introduced the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) to shrimp trawl fishermen in the east coast that have not only saved turtles but juvenile dugongs entangled in shrimp trawl nets.
Turtles are protected under the Fisheries Act 1985 and the Fisheries Regulations 1999 (Control of Endangered Species of Fish) for Peninsular Malaysia and Federal Territories of Labuan, Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998 and the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 for Sarawak and Sabah.