Several fishermen from Tanjung Api in Kuantan, Malaysia, experienced some anxious moments today when Vietnamese fishermen on several trawlers fired warning shots while they were in the midst of inspecting their “unjang” or artificial fish shelter.
The Vietnamese also threw flaming molotov cocktails towards the local boats before destroying the fish shelter, which was made from coconut leaves.
Fisherman Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman said the 10am incident occurred when he spotted the Vietnamese trawlers near the artificial fish shelter. He said the foreigners immediately fired warning shots when they saw his boat.
“I alerted my friends whose boats were nearby and they arrived several minutes later. However, we could not do much as the Vietnamese had threatened us to leave the place and threw molotov cocktail at our boats.
“Fearing for our safety, we immediately left the scene while the foreign fishermen were seen raking all our catch from the artificial fish shelter,” he said when met here today.
Although the problem had been ongoing for more than two years, he said it had become more serious over the past few weeks.
“The foreigners also use banned trawler nets in our waters as their main priority is to get as much catch,” he said.
Pahang Fishermen Association chairman Saodi Mohusin said he would meet the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to find ways to stop foreign fishermen from encroaching Malaysian waters.
2011 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad