By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Sept 17: The Sessions Court here fined a fishing vessel captain RM100,000, while six other crew members were fined RM50,000 each for entering the waters of Malaysian fisheries without notifying the authorities.
They pleaded guilty to the charge framed under subsection 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985 before Session Court Judge Maris Agan.
Judge Maris Agan sentenced the fishing vessel captain, Nguyen Van Dong, 45, to a fine of RM100,000 or in default to four months imprisonment and sentenced the other six crew members, Nguyen Minh Tuan, 26; Nguyen Minh Hung, 23; Nguyen Minh Cuong, 21; Chu Van Tuan, 21; Tran Bao Quoc, 25 and Tran Cong Minh, 23 to a fine of RM50,000 respectively or in default to two months imprisonment.
They were found to be on a foreign fishing vessel at a distance of 93.1 nautical miles from Tanjung Sirik, in the waters of Malaysian fisheries waters for the purpose under subsection 16(1) of the Fisheries Act 1985 have failed to notify by radio, telex or facsimile to the authority, the flag State, location, route and destination of the vessel, the type and amount of fish it is carrying and of the circumstances that the vessel is entering such waters, at about 7.40am on Sept 7.
They were charged under subsection 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985 and read together with the subsection 24 of the same Act and punishable under paragraph 25(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985.
Paragraph 25(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985 carries a fine not exceeding RM6,000,000 each in the case of the owner or master and RM 600,000 in the case of every member of the crew, upon conviction.
On Sept 7, a team of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency officers found all the accused illegally involved in fishing activity in the said fishing vessel in the Malaysian fisheries water.
Approximately 1,300 kilogrammes of fish and approximately 1,300 liters of diesel were found in the said fishing vessel and were confiscated by the Maritime officers.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Danial Ilham Kamaruddin prosecuted while all seven accused were unrepresented by counsel. — DayakDaily
