KOTA KINABALU: Philippine coastguards have detained 13 Malaysian fishermen for allegedly poaching in their waters close to the Sabah border.
The fishermen were on three boats that were allegedly carrying out fish bombing inside Philippines waters close to the east coast of Lahad Datu district at about 2pm on Sunday when they were caught.
Two of them were allowed to return to Sabah later to seek help.
However, they lodged a police report claiming that they were “kidnapped” by an armed group while fishing within Sabah waters.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim, in confirming that two fishermen had returned and lodged a report, however, disputed their claims about being kidnapped.
“We are investigating their allegations. We can confirm for now that 11 fishermen are being detained by Philippine authorities,” he said.
Noor Rashid said police were in touch with the authorities in Taganak about the case.
Taganak police chief Senior Insp Noelito Mata said the Malaysians, one of them a boy, were caught with 20 bottles of dynamite, four sacks of ammonium nitrate and at least three sacks of empty bottles.
He said their fishing boat and two non-motorised boats had also been seized.
The boat owners and their crew would be charged for dynamite fishing, he said.
Insp Mata said all suspects would be brought to Zamboanga to be charged while the boy would be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
