KUCHING: Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud received a courtesy call from the new Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak director First Admiral (Maritime) Zin Azman Md Yunus.
Pahang-born Zin, 55, met Taib at his Demak Jaya residence on Monday (Nov 2) in his first visit to the Head of State since assuming the post on Oct 6.
During the visit, Zin informed Taib about the situation in Sarawak waters in terms of the encroachment of foreign vessels and incidents at sea as MMEA is also the coordinator of SAR (Search and Rescue).
Zin, when asked by reporters on Ops Benteng implemented by Sarawak MMEA, said the operation was placed under the command of the East Fleet Headquarters based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and was first implemented on May 21.
“With the commitment and collaboration among agencies such as MMEA, Police, Customs, Navy and the Fisheries Department, patrols have been carried out and there has not been any encroachment by illegals from the neighbouring country.
“All entry of local fishing boats is also checked to ensure that illegal immigrants do not use local fishing boats as a platform to enter the country illegally.”
