Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the permits were issued by the Federal Land and Mines Department director-general's office for sand dredging along three nautical miles off Johor's coastline.

The permits are due to expire in February next year.

Ghani also said the National Security Council had galvanised eight enforcement agencies to conduct co-ordinated surveillance on the sand dredging activities of the two companies.

The agencies are the Marine Department, the Royal Malaysian Navy, marine police, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, the Royal Customs and Excise Department, the Johor Land and Mines office, the State Department of Environment and the Royal Malaysian Police (aerial unit).

"The co-ordinated surveillance by these eight agencies was launched to ensure that the two companies involved abide by all the stipulated regulations.

"It is also done to ensure that no other party takes advantage of the sand dredging consessions, as there were previous instances of this happening in our waters," he said.

Ghani was speaking after opening a seminar on "The First Stage of Government Policy" at Sekolah Menengah Agama Kerajaan Johor here last night.

He was asked to comment on reports that 50 fisherman in 11 boats had surrounded several sand dredgers which they believed had been providing sand for Singapore's reclamation works.

The Menteri Besar had earlier said the State Government had not issued any permits for sand dredging in the waters off Pengerang, Kota Tinggi.

The fishermen had claimed that the sand dredging had adversly affected their as their nets were destroyed by the dredgers.

It is understood that the sand dredgers, some of which are foreign-owned, have been working round-the-clock to supply Singapore with sand. Filling an entire dredger with sand is said to take between 30 and 45 minutes.

The surveillance operation, dubbed Ops Tambak I, involves police helicopters and navy patrolboats, and will will be carried out over a three-week period ending on June 6.

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