The protest against the presence of foreign-owned fishing trawlers and allegedly frequent encroachment into Sarawak waters has spread to smaller towns involving both Chinese and bumiputera fishermen and fishmongers.

A spokesperson for the Sarawak Fishing Vessels Association said today that fishermen from Mukah and Lower Rajang delta have joined their counterparts in bigger towns such as Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu.

In recent days, a series of well-organised peaceful demonstrations in almost all major towns have been staged by various fishermen associations against the government's alleged inaction in protecting their welfare.

One banner displayed in Miri and published in a local newspaper today, read: 'We protest against the government and ministers who do not care about middlemen who lease their licences to foreign vessels'.

'We Sarawak fishermen protest against foreign fishermen exploiting the marine resources of Sarawak,' read another.

Meanwhile, Sibu-based fishing trawler operator Wong Jih Ooh today refuted claims by certain Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians that the demonstrations were the work of non-bumiputeras while bumiputeras were working with foreign trawler operators.

"Malay and Melanau fishermen from the smaller places like Mukah, Oya, Igan and in Beladin are showing solidarity with their Chinese counterparts in the main towns against the activities of foreigners," he said.

'Investigate claims'

The protest was sparked off by an incident at sea about 10 nautical miles off Tanjung Sirik, Sarikei Division, where a Thai trawler and a local trawler reportedly collided.

Local fishermen said the Thai trawler had been operating illegally in local fishing grounds whenit was not supposed to do so under the terms and conditions of its licence.

The government has issued about 150 deep-sea fishing licences to several local companies, controlled mostly by those with political connections. They are also been given permission to charter foreign trawlers, mostly from Thailand.

About 5,000 local fishermen are operating under different classes of fishing licences (A, B ,C and D) in Sarawak. They include a small number with C2 licences which are for deep sea fishing beyond the 30 nautical miles limit in what is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Foreign trawlers, claim local fishermen, have been encroaching into waters close to the coast of Sarawak and it is here that incidents such as the one that sparked the protest have occurred over the past eight years.

One of the major licence holders Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told malaysiakini that authorities, especially the Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority and marine police, should investigate the latest incident to get to the bottom of the matter ..

Sarawak Fishing Vessels Association officials said it is common knowledge that foreign-owned chartered trawlers operating in the EEZ load their catch onto mother vessels in open seas and start trawling on their way back to shore, thereby competing with local fishermen in shallow waters.

"The authorities must stop this," said one official.

Meanwhile, the Marine Fisheries Department is reported to be organising a meeting in Tanjung Manis where foreign trawler operators and local operators will be given the opportunity to thrash out their problems.

Wan Junaidi, who is also a BN member of Parliament, welcomed the move.