The Security Committee that was set up to deal with illegal fishermen and immigrants will be re-activated and meet on Thursday following reports that Suluk fishermen had returned to Miri.

Senadin assemblyman Datuk Lee Kim Shin, who initiated the committee last year, said he had requested the Miri Resident to convene the meeting.

“The Resident , who is the Security Committee chairman, will call for the meeting to verify the reports (of The Borneo Post) and to discuss the actions to take,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Lee, who is also Assistant Minister of Land and Air Transportation and Safety, said the committee viewed the issue very seriously.

“We have settled this issue of Suluk fishermen last year by deporting them. However, in view of the newspaper report, we will reactivate the Security Committee

and call all relevant agencies to meet to look into the issue.” He said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem was very concerned about the issue last year.

Yesterday, The Borneo Post reported that Suluk fishermen were spotted again sneaking out to waters off Miri to fish despite a massive operation last year to weed them out. During that operation, more than 5 0 0 Suluks were deported back to the Philippines.

According to the report, these Suluk fishermen were spotted at Adong River, along Kampung Batu Stau Lutong-Kuala Baram Road and Kampung Api Api.

Their presence had alarmed local fishermen.

When contacted, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak Region director First Admiral Maritime Ismaili Bujang Pit expressed surprise at the return of the Suluk fishermen.

He said after the operation last year, MMEA and the Immigration Department had been constantly monitoring the situation.

“If they had moved here by boat, we would have intercepted them.

However, many were brought into Miri by construction contractors.

This was what we found out in last year’s operation,” he said.

“Not all of them are fishermen.

Many of them actually come here as construction workers. And when they are on land, there is nothing we can do. That is why we need other relevant agencies such as the Immigration Department and the local council to help, as well.”

Meanwhile, state Immigration Department director Ken Leben said after the exercise last year, his office had been conducting enforcement operations regularly in all sectors.

“This includes areas like fishing. We did catch illegal foreigners from the Philippines, but they are not repetitive illegals,” he said.

“We are very positive if there is any presence of illegal foreign fisherman in Sarawak, particularly in Miri.

“We have been sternly and vigilantly enforcing our law at the entry points. We are also collaborating with other enforcement agencies in curbing the presence of illegal foreigners in fishing industry. We are mindful and will continue our daily enforcement operation,” Leben said via WhatsApp.

Separately, Miri Malay community leader, Temenggong Abdul Rahman Fadzil, has advised the local community not to shelter illegal Suluk immigrants.

He feared that if they were allowed to live undetected with the local community their number would grow, like what had happened in Sabah.

“I appeal to villagers not to shelter these foreigners and work closely with the authority to nab them,” he said yesterday.

According to Abdul Rahman, these foreigners are very smart as they tend to assimilate with the locals; sometimes, they would claim they were staying with their relatives in the villages.

At the same time, he urged all community leaders here to monitor their villagers to ensure that they do not give these foreigners a place to stay.

Local fisherman Camberi Bakar told The Borneo Post that the modus operandi of these foreign fishermen was to depart early in the morning or late evening to avoid detection by the authorities.

As the weather condition the last few days did not permit them to go out to sea, Camberi said their small boats could be seen berthed alongside longboats belonging to local fishermen.

He also said he was informed by other fishermen that two foreign boats could be seen berthed near Kampung Pulau Melayu.

In addition, he said he was told that the foreigners also berthed their boats in Kuala Baram.

“We hope the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency will continue to monitor their movement and to stop them from harvesting our marine life and competing with local fishermen,” he said.

Camberi claimed he also saw foreigners who were deported last year, after the massive crackdown, walking on the streets of Miri City and working as carpenters and labourers at construction sites during the Landas season.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Lian Cheng and Mohd Abdullah

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