KUCHING, March 15 — The Session’s Court here today fined a Vietnamese fishing boat skipper RM1 million in default six months in jail for illegally fishing near Tanjung Sirik on February 4.

Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman also fined 55-year-old Pham Thuc Sinh’s 10 crew members RM200,000 each in default three months in prison for the same offence.

According to the charge, Pham and his fellow countrymen, aged between 26 and 50, failed to notify an authorised officer through radio, telex, or facsimile in English or Bahasa Malaysia on their country’s flag, the location of their boat, their destination, and the species and quantity of fish onboard their fishing boat.

They pleaded guilty to the charge framed under Section 16(3) of the Fisheries Act 1985 read together with Subsection 24 of the same Act and were sentenced under Section 25(a) of the same Act.

According to the facts of the case, Pham and his crew members were arrested by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency 210.7 nautical miles off Tanjung Sirik around 9.15am on February 4.

Among the items seized by the agency were the fishing boat, 500kg of fish, two GPS systems, and a fishing net.

DPP Mohd Azham Marwan prosecuted the case while none of the foreign fishermen were represented by legal counsel. — The Borneo Post