PUTRAJAYA, Aug 14 — The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) thwarted the entry of 206 illegal immigrants (PATI) via national waters from January to July this year.
Its acting director-general Maritime Vice Admiral Datuk Saiful Lizan Ibrahim said the results of the operations conducted for the first seven months of the year also recorded 446 cases of local fishing vessels being detained for various offences and 68 cases involving foreign fishing vessels trespassing into the country’s waters.
There were 151 cases involving cargo vessels being detained and there were six cases of smuggling involving various prohibited goods or contraband.
He said the MMEA will not compromise with any party committing wrongdoings or criminal activities in Malaysia’s maritime zones to ensure the country's waters are always safe and secure.
"Efforts to maintain national security are not the sole responsibility of the authorities, but all parties need to ensure that the country’s peace and harmony continue to be maintained," Saiful said in a statement in conjunction with the MMEA-level Fly the Jalur Gemilang 2024 campaign for the National Month celebrations today.
He also called for all levels of society, whether the maritime community or urban community to be the 'eyes and ears' of the MMEA in channelling information related to maritime crimes to the state Maritime Operations Centre throughout the country or via the Next Generation Emergency Services 999 (NG999) line.
At the launch of the programme, Saiful also asked all MMEA members to be loyal and provide excellent service to strengthen the national development agenda as desired by the Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
The Fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign at the MMEA headquarters this time involved almost 50 vehicles consisting of those owned by the agency as well as motorcycles owned by MMEA personnel.
— Bernama
