MAINTAINING and preserving the country’s water sovereignty is just as crucial as ensuring the safety of the land.
For the past 16 years, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has carried out its task under the motto “To Guard, To Protect, To Save.”
This year, on February 15, it commemorated its 17th anniversary with the theme ‘Kami Serius Melaksanakannya’ or “We Take It Seriously.”
The geographical nature of the country, which is surrounded by seas bordering Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the role of the Straits of Melaka as a strategic route for over 78,000 merchant ships per year, reflects the scope of maritime security and sovereignty that the enforcement agency is responsible for.
The Malaysian Maritime Zone covers an area of 614,000 square kilometres and comprises the South China Sea, the Melaka Straits, a portion of the Sulu Sea, and the Celebes Sea in the country’s maritime boundaries, as well as national sovereign regions that must be conserved and defended.
More than 300 oil and gas rigs are placed on the Malaysian Continental Shelf from the east coast of the peninsula to the west coast of Borneo at distances ranging from 12 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles from the coast, generating national revenue.
The oil and gas sector also fuels ancillary economic activities such as sea and air transport, raw material delivery, technology and knowledge, and other services.
THREATS TO NATION’S SAFETY
The threat to the nation’s waters is not military action or conflict, but rather an illegal invasion or entry into the country (including national waterways) and the conduct of activities prohibited by Malaysian law.
For example, foreign fishing boats infiltrate the country’s waterways by plundering the marine resources that provide a living for local fisherman.
International and local smuggling syndicates have not only created economic, social, and security problems, but have also endangered the lives of illegal immigrants at sea.
Meanwhile, cross-border criminals profit off the deaths of locals through drug smuggling. Smuggling restricted items such as gasoline and diesel, as well as subsidised goods, is tantamount to stealing people’s rights.
Taxable commodities such as cigarettes and alcohol have been smuggled, reducing the government’s tax collection.
These hazards are continually looming along the country’s sea borders. This problem is more than just illegal conduct; it is a threat to national security.
As a result, strategic, practical, and effective control and monitoring methods must be prioritised, including the optimization of sea and air assets such as radar detection, intelligence information, and enforcement personnel.
PAST SUCCESSES
MMEA has documented seizures of foreign fishing vessels worth RM1.795 billion, as well as narcotics, cigarettes, ketum, and other controlled products totaling RM397.3 million, since its inception.
The revenues of auctions, compounds, and penalties have totaled RM471 million for the government. Over the last 16 years, the total value of enforcement revenue has been RM2.7 billion.
The challenges of 2021 were met with tenacity and zeal. Several MMEA-standard special operations, such as Operasi Naga, Operasi Kuda Laut, Operasi Jangkar Haram, and Operasi Benteng, have had great success.
Op Naga was begun on April 24, 2019, and has so far resulted in 445 arrests and a total value of RM476.5 million in fishing vessel seizures.
In 2021, 97 arrests were made and 982 crew members of various nationalities were imprisoned, with the majority of them being Vietnamese.
Op Kuda Laut, which began on June 25, 2020, recorded 170 arrests with a total seizure value of RM255 million, as well as the incarceration of 1693 crew members of all nationalities. In 2021, Op Kuda Laut made 95 arrests and imprisoned 873 foreign crews, the majority of which were Vietnamese nationals, for a total of 853 persons and an RM224 million seizure.
MMEA’s participation in the National Task Force via Op Benteng is capable of mobilising not only marine assets and enforcement personnel, but also air assets, and fully utilises the role of the Marine Surveillance System (SWASLA) radar as a mechanism of detection on the high seas that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
MMEA has registered 321 incidents of illegal immigration through Opera Benteng, with the imprisonment of 376 foreigners, the majority of which are Indonesians (237). Op Benteng also resulted in the arrest of 13 tekong, including eight Indonesians and five locals.
Op Jangkar Haram was begun on March 24, last year, to deal with merchant ships unlawfully anchored in Johor waters, particularly near Tompok Utara.
The programme has had a substantial positive impact on the country’s and its seas’ rule of law, as well as revenue for the government from fines and penalties.
Over the past year, Op Jangkar Haram apprehended 97 merchant ships that were anchored without permission and successfully prosecuted 82 cases, generating RM2.08 million in government money from fines and compounds.
While five cases are being investigated, the number of ships anchored illegally in Johor waters has dropped and is under control as a result of the harsh action.
SEARCH-AND-RESCUE OPERATIONS
MMEA, the organisation in charge of directing coordination and search-and-rescue operations at sea, continued to achieve success last year, coordinating 260 such operations involving a total of 1,143 victims.
Of this total, 970 people (84.86%) were successfully rescued, 119 victims (10.41%) were slain, and 54 victims (4.73%) went missing.
STRATEGIC COOPERATION
Despite the constraints imposed by Covid-19 and the MCO, MMEA is actively pursuing strategic cooperation with foreign maritime agencies such as the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), Australian Border Force (ABF), United States of America Coast Guard (USCG), Republican Naval Security Agency of Indonesia (BAKAMLA), and other agencies in the country through courses, workshops, expertise training, information sharing, and operations.
MMEA successfully carried out the 15th Series Redback Operations in Langkawi and the 16th Series in West Johor waters last year in collaboration with the Australian Border Force (ABF), which expanded the scope of operations more dynamically by using a strategic communication approach that is more geared towards making the public aware of the threat of cross-border crime.
FOCUS FOR 2022
As MMEA operational assets, the Home Ministry has also approved the acquisition of a ‘Multi Purpose Mission Ship’ (MPMS), three ‘Offshore Patrol Vessels’ (OPVs), and four’medium lift’ helicopters.
MMEA, as a security agency under the ministry, will redouble its efforts more regularly in order to maintain the country’s sovereignty over its waterways.
This commitment is stated in the long-term plan, the MMEA Strategic Plan 2020-2040, as well as the short-term plan, the MMEA Strategic Plan 2022-2025.
This strategy plan specifies the emphasis on increasing marine security and order, logistics management and development, and system strengthening. delivery and governance, as well as the development of a trained workforce
