KANGAR: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency have detained three Thai fishermen for encroaching into Malaysian waters in Perlis on Monday.
Kuala Perlis MMEA Zone director Maritime Commander Mohd Hashim Mat Zain said the arrests were made in two separate locations, about 7.0 and 7.3 nautical miles west of Kuala Perlis.
"During the patrol rounds, the MMEA enforcement team approached the two foreign fishing fibre boats without a registration number at the locations.
"The Thai fishermen were arrested for encroaching into Malaysian waters to carry out fishing activities.
"We have also arrested a local boat skipper for hiring two of the Thai nationals as fishing crew," he said in a statement today.
Hashim said MMEA also seized marine catches worth over RM20,000 from the fishermen, aged between 27 and 41 during the bust.