The helicopter carrying Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, which allegedly hovered over Pulau Sebatik in Kalimantan, Indonesia on Sunday, did not experience any problems as reported by the Indonesian daily newspaper, Kompas .

Instead, the minister’s press secretary Brig-Gen Fadzlette Othman Merican Idris Merican explained that the helicopter did not land at the stipulated location due to the muddy field condition that can cause the helicopter to be unstable when landing.

“The pilot asked for permission abort the initial plan to land and the minister agreed to it.

“They then proceeded to their next destination, which is Pulau Nyamuk,” she said when asked to verify the report in Kuala Lumpur last night.

According to Fadzlette, during the incident, the minister was on a working visit to check on all police stations in the interior of Sabah.

On Sunday, Kompas reported that the helicopter seemed to have difficulty landing and that the situation had caught the attention of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) personnel who were already prepared to provide any assistance.

- Bernama