REPORTS of Suluks from the Philippines fishing illegally with impunity in state waters off Miri is a clarion call that our state is facing a potentially dangerous situation.
What is even more worrying is that these illegal foreigners have been in the state for a long time without the enforcement agencies taking their presence seriously.
Malaysia is a victim of its own success as its relative prosperity compared to neighboring countries has made it an attractive destination for workers from these countries searching for jobs and a better life.
It is a problem faced by many other countries, but in Sarawak it is the complacency of the enforcement agencies that allowed the problem to grow without hindrance that is worrying.
The intrusion of the Suluk fishermen from Philippines and Sabah was highlighted by The Borneo Post last year but nothing was done aside from some perfunctory efforts to check on their presence.
To make matters worse, there were allegations that the Suluks were actually brought in by syndicates or individuals to man their fishing boats.
It cannot be denied this seafaring people are fearless sailors and excellent fishermen braving foul weather that deterred local fishermen from setting out to sea making them excellent employees for fishing boat owners.
However, as they entered the state illegally, they could not be employed by licenced boat owners.
This posed a very unfair competition to local fishermen as being outside the control of enforcement agencies they could resort to using banned methods of fishing destroying fish stocks and fishing grounds.
There had been reports of fish bombing in the corals off the coast of Miri but nobody was caught although there were strong suspicions that the culprits were the Suluk illegal fishermen.
Despite complaints by local fishermen they continued to fish in the state waters with impunity thus emboldening them and encouraging more of them to come to the state.
Some of them live in makeshift squatter clusters along the banks of the Miri river while some even rented homes from locals.
Things come to head when they compete with local fishermen in harvesting bubok (krill) off the shores of Miri and setting up stalls to sell their catch directly to customers.
This is a dangerous situation which must be dealt with urgently as if they were to establish a toehold in Sarawak it could signal an influx of these illegal immigrants from Southern Philippines.
Although some may scoff at the idea that Sarawak would end up with a ‘Sabah’ situation, it is a possibility that must not be disregarded.
It is thus a great relief that the various enforcement agencies have finally get their act together and address the situation through two taskforce.
However, the inaction of enforcement agencies against their illegal fishing over the years seemed to have caused the Suluks to treat the law of the state with contempt.
Despite the announcement of the formation of the task force, some of them still went out to sea to harvest bubok and selling them at makeshift stalls along the shore.
The enforcement agencies involved in the task force are facing a crucial challenge to their authority as failure to rope in these illegal foreign fishermen and deport them would encourage more of them to come.
As it is we are already facing enough trouble from the relatively small number of them squatting in the state.
If we allow their number to grow we might end up with the same ‘unsolvable’ problem Sabah is facing now.