LUMUT, June 23 — Perak Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) yesterday, succeeded in preventing a local fishing boat from being towed by a tugboat belonging to Indonesia’s Marine and Fisheries Ministry (KKP), near here.

State MMEA director Capt Shahrizan Raman said in the 5.45am incident, the fishing boat was suspected to have encroached into the Malaysia-Indonesia watershed at 30.3 nautical miles, northwest of Pulau Jarak.

"The agency immediately contacted the Indonesian authorities to release the boat,” he said in a statement here today.

Shahrizan said following negotiations, the boat was handed over on the same day at about 2pm.

He said MMEA had always respected the common guidelines concerning treatment of fishermen by maritime law enforcement agencies as agreed between Malaysia and Indonesia in a Memorandum of Understanding signed on Jan 27, 2012.

"By the agreement the enforcement agencies in both countries will have to use their discretion in dealing with cases when fishermen are caught fishing around border areas,” he said. — Bernama