KOTA BARU: The security and enforcement aspects of the country’s territorial waters remain the top priority for the Kelantan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) throughout the monsoon season.
Its director Maritime Commander Muhd Nur Syam Asmawie Yaacob said it was important to ensure that no one took the opportunity to encroach the country’s waters during the floods.
“As the maritime enforcement agency, we have made the necessary preparations to ensure that encroachment activities are fully under control.”
He was speaking to reporters at the Kelantan MMEA meet people programme at Pulau Muara Sungai Kelantan as part of its preparations to face flood here today.
The programme, involved some 2,400 members of the fishing community from 10 islands around the Sungai Kelantan estuary, to give advice on flood preparations, the proper and safe way of using boats as well as other aspects of safety.
“We find that many fishermen are using their boats without giving safety as their priority including the use of safety jackets. Through this programme we hope to be able to provide advice and guidance to them especially when dealing with the flood season,” he said.
Other activities include to perform the Friday prayers as well as the Maulidur Rasul (Prophet Muhammad’s birthday) celebration.
Muhd Nur Syam Asmawie also said that leaves of all 132 personnel were frozen from Nov 1 until the end of the monsoon season.
He said some personnel were assigned to assist other disaster management agencies while others had been carrying out the task of monitoring the country’s waterways on a rotational basis. — Bernama
