Living in fear with pirates
KUDAT: Some 500 owners and operators of fishing boats and trawlers working off the coast of Kudat are living in fear of sea pirates following the latest kidnapping last month.
A boat, which was hijacked while fishing off the coast of Kudat, had not returned till now. The robbers had allegedly demanded some ransom before the boat could be released.
The incident further angered the community, who felt that the state government was not “concerned enough” about the safety and security of its fishermen.
During a recent meeting with Sabah DAP, the fishing community said in recent months, pirates, hijackings, kidnappings and high sea dramas had crippled the fishing industry in Kudat. Fishing and trawling is the main source of revenue for locals.
According to Kota Kinabalu MP Dr Hiew King Cheu, the fears and concerns of the local fishing community were valid.
“The fishermen are worried about sea robbers or kidnappers chasing them. There have been too many cases of boats being robbed and hijacked in the past month.
“These fishermen are working in the sea day and night. They feel there is not enough patrols and protection at sea. The marine police and navy must step up their patrol and surveillance,” he said.
Since the sea at the north of Kudat was a large area and “constant surveillance” was difficult, Hiew suggested that the marine police and navy use light aircrafts and the radar system to monitor suspicious boats or ships that appeared in Malaysian waters.
“Satellite GPS system is the latest technology and has been proven to be useful. We need more security and safety measures to be implemented in Kudat waters.
“Furthermore, increasing police, custom, navy patrol at sea will also help to cut down all other activities like smuggling of goods, people, drugs and even weapons into Sabah,” he said .Read More ...
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