Kota Kinabalu: Fourteen Vietnamese fishermen were fined a total of RM1.8 million for illegal fishing.
Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus meted out the sentence to the Vietnamese who pleaded guilty to the charge which was read in Vietnamese language.
They were skipper Ngo Van Nam, crews Ngo Van Linh, Nguyen Van Tien, Truong Van Nga, Ngo Van Vuong, Tran Van Son, Tran Van Truong, Pham Van Dong, Tran Van Luong, Truong Hau, Nguyen Ngoc Dai, Pham Van Thanh, Nguyen Thanh Son, and Nguyen Van Phong, all aged 30.
The skipper was fined RM500,000 in default five months’ jail while the crewmen were ordered to pay a fine of RM100,000 or four months’ jail each.
The 14 were found fishing without any permit inside a fishing vessel at 1.10pm on Aug 13 this year in Pulau Kalampunian, Kudat.
The Vietnamese were charged under Section 15(1) of the Fisheries Act 1985 and punishable under Section 25(a) of the same Act read together under Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides for a fine of up to RM6 million for the skipper, and RM600,000 for each crew of the vessel, on conviction.
During mitigation, all the Vietnamese asked for leniency and to be returned to their country as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurun Nazifah Muhammad Iyen from Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence on the grounds that the illegal fishing committed by foreign fishermen had affected the sea resources particularly in Sabah.
The court ordered for the vessel and its equipment that was used in the commission of the offence, to be forfeited to the Government of Malaysia.
The Vietnamese were also ordered to be referred to the Immigration Department after paying their fines or serving their jail sentences.
