Selangor MMEA Foils Migrant Smuggling Attempt Off Sekinchan

SHAH ALAM, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- The Selangor branch of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a Class B local fishing vessel (VNT) for multiple offences, including an attempt to smuggle a migrant out of the country via a non-gazetted route, in the waters off Sekinchan early yesterday. 

Its director Maritime Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the detention followed intelligence gathering and continuous surveillance of suspicious vessel movements believed to breach licence conditions and existing laws.

“The vessel was detained at about 5 am by an MMEA patrol boat about 2.5 nautical miles west of Sekinchan. Initial inspection found the vessel was operated by a skipper and three crew members aged between 28 and 61, all Indonesian nationals,” he said in a statement today.

Abdul Muhaimin said preliminary checks found that the vessel had breached licence conditions and that all individuals on board failed to produce valid identification documents.

Further inspection uncovered a man suspected to be an undocumented migrant, with evidence indicating an attempted illegal exit via a non-gazetted route.

The skipper, three crew members, the migrant and seized items were taken to the Marine Police Jetty in Pulau Indah, with the case to be investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985, the Immigration Act 1959/63 and ATIPSOM 2007.

-- BERNAMA