Home minister reveals possible drug, arms smuggling ties in Jan 24 MMEA maritime incident involving Indonesian nationals

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today said that preliminary investigations into the maritime incident involving Indonesian nationals on January 24 suggest possible involvement in illegal activities.

He said that the investigation is conducted under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom).

“As we continue our interrogations of those arrested or those injured and currently in our custody, the deeper we investigate, the more we cannot dismiss certain patterns based on past cases of a similar nature.

“This could potentially lead to the opening of an investigation related to drug smuggling. It could also involve arms smuggling. As for the smuggling of migrants, that investigation has already been opened.

“However, we do not rule out the possibility that further investigations may be launched under other sections related to different offences,” he said in a press conference at the Parliament building here.

Saifuddin added that one of the suspects being investigated is believed to be the “transporter”.

“The police have arrested a man who, based on the initial investigation, has been confirmed to play the role of a transporter.

“This means he was responsible for facilitating the entry and exit of individuals without any documents into our country. He has been arrested, and the preliminary investigation indicates that he is linked to the boat that was pursued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA),” he said.

Saifuddin said that the incident occurred after MMEA officers the incident began at 2:58am, when the Area Control Centre in Klang detected a suspicious vessel entering Malaysian waters near Pulau Carey.

“The Penggalang 31 vessel then successfully identified the suspicious contact. MMEA then introduced itself using a loudhailer to issue a warning. This was done early in the morning, in the open sea, Issuing an initial warning is a very important procedure, and it was carried out. However, the boat ignored the warning.

“The indication that the boat disregarded the warning was that it continued to speed away. As a result, the MMEA vessel, Penggalang 31, initiated a chase,” he said.

As the chase ensued, the vessel attempted to ram Penggalang 31, specifically targeting its engine, which posed a serious risk of explosion due to the petrol-powered system.

In an effort to stop the boat, MMEA officers fired warning shots into the air, but the vessel continued its escape.

Saifuddin said that given the escalating threat, MMEA officers aimed at the boat’s engine, hoping to disable it and bring the pursuit to an end.

Despite these measures, the vessel successfully evaded capture and disappeared from the authorities’ radar.

Following the failed interception, MMEA officers returned to their base.

The shooting incident, which one Indonesian national was killed and four others were injured, was not well received by the neighbouring country as the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta was pelted with eggs last week.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on January 25, said the shooting happened as five Indonesian nationals were allegedly attempting to leave Malaysia illegally.

The ministry has since urged an investigation into whether excessive force was used by the MMEA.

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