KUCHING, Nov 28 ― Three Indonesian skippers were each fined RM1 million at the Sessions Court here yesterday after having pleaded guilty to encroaching into Malaysian waters.

Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman and Judge Musli Ab Hamid ordered Sutas Rif and Kadrino, respectively, to be jailed for six months if they failed to pay the fine.

Meanwhile, Judge Iris Awen Jon ordered Dedi Yanto to be jailed for seven months if he failed to pay the fine.

Besides the skippers, six crew members aged between 22 and 43 were also fined yesterday.

Judge Afidah imposed on Arfandi and Habibi each a fine of RM100,000, in default six months’ jail.

Judge Iris fined M Riz and Midi RM200,000 each in default five months’ imprisonment, while Judge Musli ordered Meri Sugianto and Yoga Purnama each a RM100,000 fine in default four months in jail.

According to the charge sheet, all the accused failed to inform an authorised officer by radio, telex or facsimile in English or Bahasa Malaysia to identify themselves, location and destination the types and also amount of fish that their vessels were carrying and of the circumstances under which they were entering Malaysian waters.

They committed the offence in three separate boats between 98.6, 99.2 and 101.7 nautical miles off Tanjung Payong, Sarawak, between 6.45am and 9pm on November 14 this year.

Based on the evidence, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) team spotted the boats, intercepted them and apprehended the skippers and their crew.

Later, the boats, various equipment and devices on board such as GPS units, and catch weighing about 90kg were seized.

The Department of Fisheries Malaysia also confirmed that the vessels had failed to notify any authorised officer of them entering the Malaysian waters, which was in contravention of Section 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985.

The prosecution of the cases was conducted by DPP Muhamad Azham Marwan, while all the accused were unrepresented by any legal counsel. ― Borneo Post