Minister of Interior Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said on January 24, a group of Indonesian stowaways rammed into the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) vessel at the coast of Pantai Tanjung Rhu, Port Klang, Selangor. The MMEA had used loudspeakers and fired warning shots into the air.
Saifuddin continued: “We issued warnings through loudspeakers, but they not only ignored the warnings, they attempted to ram into the MMEA vessel. They deliberately targeted the engine part of our vessel, because it uses a diesel engine, which is very dangerous as it could cause an explosion.”
“In this situation, we fired warning shots into the air, but they still didn’t stop ramming into our vessel. We had no choice but to fire at the engine part of their boat to stop them.”
“Yet their vessel still managed to escape. The MMEA vessel eventually returned to the dock. This incident happened around 3 AM, and later at 9 AM, we received a report of a boat landing ashore with two men, one injured and the other unresponsive, who was confirmed deceased by medical personnel. Both were sent to Klang Hospital.”
He said that on the same day, authorities also received reports of three men with gunshot wounds being admitted to Serdang Hospital.
He stated that the stowawan vessel ignored warnings and tried to escape, leading to a pursuit by the MMEA vessel over 3 nautical miles or 4.8 kilometers. On board, our enforcement officers also found a machete.
The Interior Minister said this during a press conference explaining the details of the incident in the Parliament media room on Monday (Feb 3).
On January 24, Selangor Chief of Police Datuk Husin stated that a shooting incident occurred in the waters near Tanjung Rhu, resulting in one death and four injuries.
Husin explained that this incident occurred at 3 AM, with the suspects attempting to ram the MMEA vessel four times and attacking officers with a machete, prompting officers to retaliate in self-defense.
The Interior Minister added that the incident resulted in the death of an Indonesian laborer and injured four people. Currently, three Indonesians with gunshot wounds are being treated at Sultan Idris Shah Hospital, Serdang, and one at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang.
“In fact, one more person was sent to the hospital but refused treatment, and we have identified him.”
He said that because this case involves Indonesian citizens, the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia contacted the government and arranged meetings at the hospital.
“Currently, everyone is in stable condition.”