MMEA fends off aggressive Vietnamese fishing crew off Miri

 They carried out dangerous manoeuvres, throwing hard and sharp objects at the MMEA personnel in rough seas, says the maritime agency.

The Vietnamese and Indonesian crews of two foreign fishing vessels have been detained by the MMEA for encroaching into Malaysian waters, the agency said. (MMEA pic)

KUCHING:

 Crew members of a Vietnamese fishing boat took aggressive measures when a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency patrol vessel caught the boat attempting to trespass into Malaysian waters in northern Sarawak yesterday.

MMEA Miri zone director Khairol Anuar Saad said the crew of the Vietnamese boat refused to cooperate when they were confronted about 31 nautical miles northwest of Kuala Niah, Miri.

“They carried out dangerous manoeuvres, throwing hard and sharp objects at the MMEA enforcement personnel in rough seas, threatening the safety and lives of the security forces,” he said in a statement today.

However, the situation was successfully controlled and the vessel, with three Vietnamese on board, was detained without any injuries to maritime personnel on duty.

The MMEA had detained another vessel with five Indonesians on board northwest of Kuala Suai, Miri.

Khairol said the two vessels and crew, aged between 25 and 53, were then taken to the Miri maritime zone complex in a journey which took nearly 18 hours due to rough weather over the long distance.

The two boats and its fishing and navigation equipment, with a value of about RM3.3 million, were seized. - FMT