KUCHING: A total of 23 Vietnamese fishermen, believed to have trespassed into international waters, were yesterday placed on remand for 14 days to assist police investigation.
The suspects, aged 17 to 40, appeared before magistrates’ court Registrar Dayang Roselind Awang Mahdini following their arrest on Oct 25.
Dayang Roselind fixed Nov 11 for the suspects to be produced in court.
In the Oct 25 incident, two Vietnamese fishing trawlers with 23 crew members were detained at Tanjung Datu and Tanjung Sirik near here.
The vessels were intercepted about 90 nautical miles from Tanjung Po.
Both vessels were believed to have used cloned registration numbers (SF2-3876 and SF2-3448), and the captain failed to produce any valid documents.
The case is being investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of RM1 million fine or imprisonment of not less than six months upon conviction.