Local fishermen in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia, now have one more thing to worry about besides the weather and sea condition when they go out to fish Ali Babas.
These greedy individuals are leasing their trawler licences to the Chinese, Thais and Vietnamese to fish in Sarawak waters, and their act has more than halved what thousands of local fishermen catch at sea.
Belawai Area Fishermen Association (PNKB) and Sarawak Fishing Vessels’ Association (SFVA) are now praying that Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem would step in to put these Ali Babas to pasture. PNKB chairman Temrin Bustamam claimed there were presently more than 20 foreign fishing vessels, believed to be from China, berthed at Tanjong Manis in Sarikei Division.
In addition, there are between 50 and 60 such vessels in the open sea, waiting to be berthed at Tanjong Manis.
We appeal to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem to intervene in this matter for the sake of thousands of local fishermen, he said in a joint press conference with SFVA chairman Ha Tung Ting here yesterday.
PNKB, which is a member of Sarawak Fishermen Association (SFA), has 1,200 members, while SFVA has about 300 members.
They believe Adenan could put a stop to this practice as he had mentioned in Sadong Jaya last May 31 that his next mission was to stop illegal foreign trawlers from fishing in state waters.
Adenan said he had received many complaints that foreign trawlers were affecting the livelihood of local fishermen.
I don’t want people to steal our fish from our waters. There are many foreign trawlers stealing fish from our waters. They will then sell them outside our country and we don’t get anything. They are our next target, he had said when launching Sadong Jaya Festival.
Temrin said in the past, local fishermen could easily earn between RM5,000 and RM6,000 per month, but not now because of these foreign intrusions, no thanks to Ali Babas.
Even to get RM2,000 monthly is very difficult nowadays. We are pressed even harder by the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The Ali Baba operators are not only robbing’ us of our fishes but they also destroy our marine resources. They said their vessels are bought by local operators, but we know they are lying.
Temrin wondered why these Chinese, Vietnamese and Thais were allowed to roam freely in Sarawak waters. He said PNKB had voiced its concern against Ali Baba trawler activities in Tanjong Manis during SFA’s annual general meeting last May.
2010 – 2014 | malaysiandigest.com