KUCHING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) is gearing up for the closure of the Maritime Perkasa Timur Exercise scheduled for Saturday morning (Nov 4) in the waters of Sarawak.
MMEA Sarawak Maritime director First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus said the exercise serves as a platform to demonstrate MMEA’s prowess in fulfilling its duties to safeguard the nation’s waters and ensure the wellbeing of the local maritime community.
“This exercise, featuring 14 vessels owned by the agency, is essentially a showcase of MMEA’s capabilities in Sabah and Sarawak. Our skilled members operate ships and handle enforcement tasks at sea, aligning with our core mission of enforcing maritime law in Malaysia’s waters.
“This marks a pivotal moment for us to empower the capabilities of our assets, especially in Sarawak.
“We face challenges such as the invasion by Vietnamese fishermen and attempt of a ruler ship from China, therefore we have to show the existence of MMEA’s assets in the South China Sea, a region known for its high value assets that produce petroleum and gas.
“As a law enforcement agency, our responsibility is to showcase our strength, ensuring there are no attempts to trespass into our national waters.”
First Admiral Zin said this during the media gathering night here on Wednesday (Nov 1).
In addition, he shared that the closing ceremony, scheduled for 11am, will be graced by MMEA deputy director general (operations) Vice Admiral Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin.
“The ceremony will provide an opportunity for media engagement, and the presence of the public is welcomed.
“The event will also include an interview session with key figures of the exercise, offering insights into the initiative undertaken to monitor MMEA’s members and assets at sea.
For the record, the Maritime Perkasa Timur Exercise commenced on Oct 30 in Kota Kinabalu, officiated by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and is concluding its journey in Kuching.
Also in attendance were APMM corporate communications unit director Faridah Shuib.
