Latest news with #Swasla
New Straits Times
13-06-2025
- New Straits Times
MMEA monitoring social media promoting illegal migrant transport services
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) is monitoring social media accounts promoting illegal migrant transport services and will work with the police and other agencies to investigate and act against those involved. Its director-general, Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah, said this follows promotions by syndicates and irresponsible individuals offering such services to foreigners without valid documents, using unregulated maritime routes. He said such activities not only violate national laws but also pose a threat to the country's security and sovereignty. "Aside from breaking the law, these actions endanger lives. The parties involved do not consider safety measures, such as providing life jackets or flotation devices, and often overload the boats beyond their capacity," he said. Rosli added that the MMEA will also report these promotional activities to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block the identified social media accounts from continuing to advertise the services. "The MMEA will not compromise and will not hesitate to take more aggressive measures, particularly by increasing patrols and enforcement operations along the nation's maritime borders. "We have also deployed aircraft to conduct aerial surveillance and enhanced radar monitoring under the Sea Surveillance System (Swasla) to detect the presence of foreign boats," he said. As of 2024, he said a total of 68 attempts to smuggle undocumented migrants had been successfully foiled, resulting in the arrest of 236 individuals from various countries. He also urged the public, especially the fishing community and coastal residents, to serve as the eyes and ears of enforcement agencies by reporting any suspicious activities. "Information can be reported via the 999 emergency hotline or to the nearest MMEA operations centre for immediate action," he said.
Daily Express
10-06-2025
- Daily Express
Two trawler fishing boats detained off Kudat
Published on: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 10, 2025 By: Patimang Abdul Ghani Text Size: One of the boats in question. KUDAT: Two trawler fishing boats were detained by the Kudat Zone Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency last Saturday after they were found conducting fishing activities less than three nautical miles from the shore. Kudat Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Commander Hasbullah Omar, said the boats were detained at around 6.30pm some 2.6 nautical miles northeast of the Marina river mouth, following information from the Sabah Sea Surveillance System (Swasla). Advertisement Hasbullah said a Maritime Malaysia patrol vessel on duty under Op Sejahtera, Op Pluto Timur, Op Cegah Pati and Op Tiris was immediately deployed to the location and found the boats towing trawl nets within the prohibited distance. He said further checks found six individuals onboard, including the skippers – two of them were locals and four were Indonesians, all of whom possessed valid identification documents. Earlier, another fishing boat was detained around 7pm some 2.2 nautical miles east of Tagumamal waters, also based on information from the Swasla system. According to Hasbullah, the second boat was carrying nine crew members, including one Filipino national who was found with questionable identification documents. 'In total, Maritime Malaysia seized over 1.5 tonnes of various fish and two tonnes of trash fish from both detentions. 'All suspects, along with the boats and the seized catch, were brought to the Kudat Maritime Zone jetty and handed over to the investigating officer for further action,' he said. 'The cases are being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for breaching fishing licence conditions and the Immigration Act 1959/63 for possession of questionable documents.' Hasbullah emphasised that the agency will continue to tighten patrols and surveillance across Sabah waters to combat illegal fishing activities, which not only violate the law but also threaten national marine resources. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
09-06-2025
- Daily Express
Two trawlers detained for illegal fishing near Kudat coast
Published on: Monday, June 09, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jun 09, 2025 By: Patimang Abdul Ghani Text Size: One of the detained vessels. KUDAT: Two trawler-type fishing boats were detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Maritim Malaysia) in Kudat waters on Sunday for operating less than three nautical miles from the shore. Kudat Maritime Zone Director Commander Hasbullah Omar said the vessels were detected at around 6.30pm, about 2.6 nautical miles northeast of Marina estuary, through Sabah's Sea Surveillance System (Swasla). Advertisement A patrol vessel dispatched under Ops Sejahtera, Ops Pluto Timur, Ops Cegah Pati and Ops Tiris found the boats trawling nets within prohibited waters and detained six individuals, including two locals and four Indonesians with valid documents. Another boat was detained at 7pm the same evening, about 2.2 nautical miles off Tagumamal waters, carrying nine crew members, one of whom was a Filipino with questionable identification. Hasbullah said over 1.5 tonnes of mixed fish and two tonnes of fish used for fertiliser were seized, and all suspects, boats and catch were brought to Kudat Maritime Jetty for further action under the Fisheries Act 1985 and Immigration Act 1959/63. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
