State has alerted PM about how foreign fishermen had robbed the state of its fishery resources — CM
Adenan looks at a product by KTS Group as (from right) STIDC chairman Datu Sarudu Hoklai, KTS Group managing director Dato Henry Lau, Second Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan and Adenan’s wife Datin Patinggi Datuk Jamilah Anu look on.
Adenan and Jamilah cut a cake at the Hari Raya gathering.
Lau (front, second right), Sarudu (front, third right) and other guests at the function.
TANJUNG MANIS: Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem announced yesterday that no more licences would be issued for deep sea fishing in Sarawak waters.
The Chief Minister said he had spoken to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak about the plight faced by local fishermen due to the presence of illegal foreign fishermen.
“He (Najib) then told the Minister of Agriculture (about it), and the result is that more than 30 deep sea fishing licence holders in the state have been issued with show cause letters as to why their licences should not be revoked,” he said at the ground-breaking ceremony for a Palm Oil Bulking Storage facility at Palm Oil Cluster Industry (POIC) here.
Adenan said everyone had heard how fishermen from Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and China robbed the state of its fishes.
“Our own people who have such (deep sea fishing) licences leased them to foreigners, for how much I do not know. That also means, we give out licences to let foreigners rob us of our fishes. So, no more deep sea fishing licences will be issued.” On politics, Adenan, who is also Tanjung Datu assemblyman, made a fresh call to the people to give him five more years to prove himself further.
“Since becoming chief minister, I have done many things, including fighting illegal logging, stopped issuing licences for plantations, abolished tolls and reduced power tariffs.
“These are the things that I have done. What we (his administration) can do if given five more years will be much more than what we have done in the last one-and-a-half years. There are good track records to prove our performances.”
The Palm Oil Bulking Storage facility will be run by Tanjung Manis Bulkers Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between KTS Group of Companies and Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC).
The main component of the facility, built on 12.74 hectares, will comprise 16 storage tanks with maximum capacity of 64,000 metric tonnes, oil bays, pump house, boiler house, laboratory, canteen, water treatment plant and generator room.
The implementation of the project was in line with the Tanjung Manis being the main port serving the state’s central region.
Among those present at the function were Adenan’s wife Datin Patinggi Datuk Jamilah Anu, KTS Group managing director Dato Henry Lau, Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Awang Asfia Awang Nassar, Second Minister of Finance Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing and STIDC chairman Datu Sarudu Hoklai.
Adenan later joined more than 1,000 people at a Hari Raya gathering held at the STIDC complex.