He said MMEA had not received any reports on an alleged incident of piracy in Pantai Remis, Perak, as claimed in several media reports.

“On the contrary, the reported incident was a case of extortion by irresponsible parties from neighbouring countries against local fishing vessels in the grey area of the Straits of Malacca,” he said in a statement today.

He added that MMEA works closely with Indonesian authorities through annual joint patrols and special exercises in the strait, successfully reducing cross-border crime.

Since its establishment in 2006, MMEA has recorded 16,259 arrests for various offences at sea. It has also prevented intrusions by foreign fishing vessels (VNA), detaining 1,789 VNAs and 15,162 crew members for trespassing in Malaysian waters.

Yesterday, Pantai Remis assemblyman Wong May Ing reportedly said that local fishermen were facing increasing threats of piracy from Indonesia.

However, Rosli said that MMEA patrols and monitoring would continue to be intensified to keep Malaysia’s waters safe from maritime crime.

He urged the fishing community to keep the vessel traffic system activated at all times, and vessel owners to equip their boats with personal locator beacons for emergencies, and instal CCTV cameras for security.

Rosli also encouraged the public to report suspicious activity to the authorities to help maintain security in Malaysian waters.