Malaysia announced on Tuesday that all foreign vessels are banned from fishing in its waters, following reports that some 100 fishing vessels were spotted off the Luconia Shoals.

KUALA LUMPUR: All foreign vessels are not allowed to fish in Malaysian waters, National Security Minister Shahidan Kassim told reporters on Tuesday (Mar 29) after last week’s reports that some 100 Chinese fishing boats had been detected encroaching in Malaysia’s waters near the Luconia Shoals .

The shoals – known as Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali among Malaysians – are located in the disputed South China Sea, less than 100 nautical miles from the coast of Miri in the eastern state of Sarawak. They are administered by the Malaysian government but also claimed by Taiwan and China, which calls them the Ansha islands.

According to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the boats were chased away by its assets as well as those from the navy.

No more foreign vessels have since been spotted fishing at the shoals or within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, the minister said.

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