Philippines nets Malaysian boats

Mon, 23 Apr 2001 | Source: AFP

MANILA (AFP): Two Malaysian-registered fishing vessels with mostly Indonesian crew members have been intercepted poaching off the southern Philippine island of Tawi-Tawi, officials said on Sunday.

The skippers of the Malaysian vessels, Harianto bin Majih and Usman bin Sideke, denied that they were poaching and claimed they were only seeking shelter in the area after encountering engine trouble last week, police said.

Both men, along with their eight Indonesian crew, were taken to Tawi-Tawi's police headquarters where formal charges are being prepared against them.

Poaching has been a recurring problem in southern Philippine seas despite joint patrol efforts with Malaysia, whose Sabah state is just minutes away by boat from the main southern island of Mindanao.

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