Sabah fishermen can still fish despite ESSZone curfew

KUALA LUMPUR: Fishermen in Sabah can still carry out fishing activities as the curfew in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) waters is imposed only from 6pm to 6am.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said although it had some effect on fishing activities, the curfew in the East Coast of Sabah only involved a distance of three nautical miles to the border.

“The curfew is the best approach because it prevents the entry of foreign fishermen into our country and at the same time, prevents our fishermen from catching fish in foreign territories,” he said in reply to a question from Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) during the Ministers’ Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Bung Moktar had enquired on the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) plans to add aerial assets to increase the effectiveness of security operations in the ESSZone, especially in controlling encroachment by fishermen in the waters off the East Coast of Sabah, which had resulted in losses involving billions of ringgit, and at the same time, contributed to the rise in fish prices.

Shahidan said the government would not compromise with foreign fishermen but would ensure that local fishermen could safely conduct fishing activities in the country’s waters.

In the meantime, he said ESScom was ready to apply for additional allocations to increase aerial assets, if necessary.