Foreign fishermen encroaching M'sian waters may have military training: Shahidan

KUALA PERLIS: There is truth to media reports that foreign fishermen who aggressively encroached Malaysian waters last year, had military training, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.
He said the claim was further strengthened by the aggressive approach of the group of 150 boats escorted by a Coast Guard patrol boat, causing them to even brazenly collide with Malaysian enforcement boats.
"In the report, we obtained information the foreign fishermen were trained by the military," he added.
Shahidan was speaking to reporters after launching the establishment of the Malaysian Maritime Volunteer Reserve (PSSMM) and the Malaysian Maritime Cadet Team (PASKAM) here today.
In this regard, he said the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) had been directed not to compromise with foreign fishermen who intruded Malaysia's territorial waters.
Shahidan noted that these foreign fishing boats were hardly nabbed by MMEA as compared to fishing boats from Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia.
He said the South China Sea off Sabah and Sarawak was popular with foreign fishermen, apart from the waters off Kelantan and Terengganu.
"To ensure more secure territorial waters, the government has set up PSSMM and PASKAM so that the people can play their role more effectively to assist MMEA in eradicating maritime crimes.
"In this regard, the authorities are educating local fishermen to help stem encroachment of territorial waters by foreign fishermen."
Shahidan said two coastal patrol boats contributed by Japan, and several patrol boats ordered from China would be deployed to boost the country's sovereignty.
He said the country's waters had become the focus of foreign fishermen as it was a rich fishing ground while not many Malaysian fishermen were willing to venture into deep sea fishing. — Bernama