Transparent probe of Indonesian shooting incident - minister

The probe of a shooting involving an Indonesian at Tanjung Rhu, Selangor, is being conducted professionally and transparently, assured Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said there were no restrictions for Indonesian embassy representatives to communicate with or visit the suspect.

“We are conducting a transparent investigation and we have nothing to hide. We will conduct it with full order and responsibility.

“This case involves an Indonesian national, and their embassy has contacted us requesting to visit the suspect. We have granted them access,” he told a press conference at the Parliament building today.

Saifuddin said the incident involved the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and a foreign national suspected of being linked to migrant smuggling activities.

He said the police arrested an Indonesian man believed to have acted as a “transporter” and was linked to the incident.

He added that the individual possessed valid travel documents with records of entering and exiting Malaysia to Indonesia.

“For now, we have established that he was a transporter, and immigration records confirm his regular travel pattern, which was likely for the purpose of migrant smuggling.”

‘Boat refused to stop’

Elaborating on the Jan 24 incident, Saifuddin said MMEA’s radar detected a “suspicious contact” in Malaysian waters before enforcement teams intercepted and issued warnings using a loud hailer, which were ignored.

“MMEA pursued the boat, which then attempted to ram into the MMEA vessel’s engine. Due to this act, a warning shot was fired into the air, but the boat still refused to stop. In that situation, the MMEA then targeted (shots) at the engine of the boat,” he said.

Saifuddin said the police were investigating the case under Section 307 of the Penal Code (attempted murder), Section 186 of the Penal Code (obstructing a public servant), Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960, and Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007.

He added that the police did not rule out the possibility that further investigation could lead to cases involving arms smuggling and drug trafficking.

Additionally, Saifuddin said the MMEA had launched an internal investigation, and all personnel involved in the incident had been temporarily relieved of duty.

Last Thursday (Jan 30), about 100 Indonesians protested and threw eggs at the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta over the Jan 24 shooting incident which saw one Indonesian killed and four others injured.

- Bernama

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