A group of fishermen have lodged a police report after 10 of them suffered RM60,000 in losses when their three outboard engines and 18 nets stored in a hut by the Gelugor River were thrown into the sea by 50 men purportedly engaged by a developer.
One of the fishermen, Mohd Yusof Md Isa, 46, claimed that the 50 men tore down the hut used by about 40 members of the Sungai Gelugor Fishermen’s Association after threatening the fishermen with sharp weapons.
He said one of the men informed him that they were directed by a developer to tear down the hut.
“I appealed to them to stop until the owner came but they went ahead with the destruction and then threw the engines and nets into the sea.”
“They also carted off several barrels of oil and a digital camera as well as several other valuables kept in the hut,” he told reporters.
Another fisherman, Mohd Hanafi Md Yusof, 32, said he was repairing a generator when the men, all dressed in white and acting like gangsters, came and tore down the hut.
He said they fled when the police arrived. Association supervisor Sharudin Ayub Shah, 48, demanded compensation from the developer.
– Bernama
C. Khor
CJMY
