"We feel that the fisherman were still in Malaysian territorial waters, and we therefore wished that they could be set free," the Malaysian consul to Riau Zamani Ismail told ANTARA here Monday.
He said the location where the traditional fishermen were arrested including their two fishing boats were still in Malaysian waters in Tunda Island, Pontian, the State of Johor in the Malacca Strait.
The fishermen had been identified as Ibrahim bin Mohd Kassim (28), Ridzuan bin Aris (35), Mohd Zamri bin Hambali (26), Zainodin bin Adam (53), Rosli bin Abd Rashid (34), and Jamil bin Mohd Top (53), while another fisherman, Surbaini bin Samsudin (42), who was also arrested along with the six others, was not recognized as a Malaysian, saying he was Indonesian born in Bengkalis, and had stayed in Johor for 10 years.
Riau police said they caught the seven fishermern along with their two Malaysian fishing boats when a Antareja police patrol was operating 12 miles north of Pulau Rangsang waters in Meranti islands waters, Riau, on March 9, 2011.
Zamani said diplomatic efforts were underway to free the six traditional fishermen and the Malaysian government in Kuala Lumpur already knew about it.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
