ELEVEN sport fishermen and three crew members of their chartered vessel arrived at the Santubong boat club this afternoon, 22 hours after they were release by Indonesian authorities.

The group was detained for allegedly encroaching on Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

However, Musli Jaffar, deputy director of Sarawak Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA) search-and-rescue unit, said the fishermen’s vessel was intercepted “well within Malaysia’s EEZ”.

He said the boat was intercepted by an Indonesian warship 53.2 nautical miles north of Tanjung Datu – the southernmost tip of Sarawak – about 9am on Wednesday.

The skipper, Abang Abdul Oswazir Abang Ahmad, said he was ordered to set course for the Indonesian naval base in Ranai on Natuna Besar Island.

He said the group arrived at the base about 1am yesterday.

Musli said Indonesia then informed Malaysia about the group, following which, MMEA and its Indonesian counterpart began negotiations to secure the release of the 13 Malaysians and one Indonesian.

Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii said the coordinates provided by the boat crew, showing where they were arrested, were “within our waters”.

He said there is another case, involving a smaller “bubu” fishing boat that was intercepted on Tuesday.

The boat was carrying three crew members, all Indonesians.

Musli said negotiations are ongoing to secure the vessel’s release.

In the case of the sport fishermen, Indonesian authorities released their boat at noon yesterday, and the group departed for Kuching about two hours later.

They arrived at the Santubong boat club at 12.50pm today. – March 15, 2019.