The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) station here yesterday denied that the delay in bringing back two fishing boats and their 28 Vietnamese crew members it detained on Sunday to Marina Jetty had caused the death of one of the crew members in Miri Hospital on Monday.

Miri MMEA operation director, Commander Mohd Hambali Yaakup, when contacted yesterday said in fact MMEA had done all it could in its capacity to give appropriate assistance to the crew members, including the deceased.

MMEA detained the two fishing boats and their crew members aged between 22 and 55 in Bintulu-Miri waters some 78 nautical miles from Tanjung Payong near here on Sunday.

“When the patrol team detained them and their boats, the crew members were all fine until April 3 (Monday) at about 6.45am, they informed the patrol team that two of their members were unwell.

“The patrol team went to check on them and notified us at the operation centre that one crew member was having cramps, while the other one had swollen leg,” Hambali said.

When asked whether he sent any assistance, Hambali said he had directed his men to send a rescue boat to them about 9am.

He said the rescue boat returned to Marina Jetty about 10.45pm with the two crew members later identified as 55-year-old Tran Van Phuong and 24-year-old Danh Nghia.

“An ambulance from Miri Hospital was already at the jetty and the two were immediately transported to the hospital for treatment,” Hambali added.

Tran who was having cramps however was pronounced dead at about noon while receiving treatment.

It is later learnt that Tran died of natural cause.

“I can confirm that the police are investigating the death as sudden death pending post mortem result,” said Sarawak CID chief Datuk Dev Kumar when contacted.

Hamdali said the patrol team spotted the two boats in Bintulu-Miri waters on Sunday at about 10.32am.

“The patrol team detected the two boats some 2.5 nautical miles from their patrol boats and suspected that they were fishing in the area using joint trawling (tunda ganding) method.

“At about 11.06am, the patrol team conducted a search on one of the boats and at about 12.10pm, the patrol team detained the two boats and all their crews,” he said.

A total of four tonnes of fish worth about RM40,000 to RM50,000 were seized from the two boats.

The boats were Malaysian registered, but the crews, who were all Vietnamese, failed to produce their permits.

They are being investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and Fisheries Act 1985, which provide for a fine of not more than RM1 million for the skipper and RM100,000 for each crew member if convicted.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Jenifer Laeng

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