SABAH Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal today warned the culprits of the fish bombing that killed three divers on Friday that the heaviest possible penalty will be handed down.

He said he had repeatedly raised in Parliament the issue of fish bombing in Sabah and now calls for stern punishment.

“This problem has existed for a very, very long time.

“It is also my hope that locals who know those responsible for the incident to come forward so the authorities can arrest the culprits,” he told reporters after attending the Petronas Education Sponsorship programme in Kota Kinabalu today.

Shafie said fishermen who used fish bombs know this method will not benefit them in the long term.

He added the use of cyanide in manufacturing such bombs will poison the fish and will eventually cause health problems for consumers.

When asked whether he will ban the use of pump boats after the incident, Shafie said the government is looking into such possibilities, added that the boats are only modes of transport and not contributors to the use of fish bombs.

“We can look into that possibility (of banning the use of pump boats), but what is more important is that we need to look into how these bombs are made.

“Were the bombs made using materials readily available in the local markets or were the materials brought into the state from neighbouring countries like the Philippines.”

The practice of fish bombing has long been associated with small-time fishermen who used pump boats.

The death of the three divers, including two China nationals, on Friday had triggered calls by social media users and a political party for the Sabah government to reintroduce the ban on pump boats.

Sabah police have classified the case as a murder investigation and it is ongoing.

The diving industry contributes more than RM200 million annually to the Sabah economy. – July 7, 2019.