KUALA TERENGGANU: A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officer suffered serious injuries to the head after being attacked by a machete-wielding Vietnamese fisherman during an operation this morning.
Terengganu MMEA director, Captain Khairulanuar Abd Majid, said the incident occurred at 11.30 am when Sub Lieutenant Shakir Zufayri Azizul, 27, together with 18 other personnel, was conducting an operation at 148 nautical miles off Kuala Terengganu.
He said during the operation, the team detained a Vietnamese fishing boat with a skipper and 15 crew members on board for trespassing into the state's waters.
"While inspecting the boat, a fisherman had acted aggressively by attacking and injuring the victim and other MMEA personnel.
"This led to other crew members of the boat reacting by attacking MMEA personnel who were in their boat," Khairulanuar said.
According to Khairulanuar, the incident also resulted in the boat skipper and two Vietnamese fishermen sustaining injuries to the left arm and both their thighs.
He said the victims and the injured Vietnamese fishermen were then sent to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) by helicopter for immediate treatment.
Khairulanuar said further investigation found that the boat did not have a valid licence or fishing permit, while the skipper and all crew members did not possess any personal identification documents.
"All the foreign fishermen were arrested under the Fisheries Act 1985 and the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering Malaysia without a valid passport," he said. -- BERNAMA