TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
No fight back from RI migrant shot dead by Malaysian authorities, ministry says
Two injured victims of the shooting of a group of Indonesians in the waters off Selangor state in Malaysia claim that they did not put up a fight using sharp weapons when encountered by the Malaysian authorities.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency officer (center) points to an object during the rescue operation for missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain off the Johor coast of Malaysia on Aug. 24, 2017. (AFP/Mohd Rasfan)
C
oncerns of excessive use of force in the recent fatal shooting of Indonesian nationals by Malaysian authorities continue to mount after victims dismissed initial reports that the incident was triggered by a clash between a group of Indonesians and Malaysian law enforcement agents.
On Jan. 24, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) personnel shot at a group of Indonesians who had attempted to leave the country illegally in the waters off Tanjung Rhu Beach in Selangor state. One Indonesian was killed during the incident, while four others were injured.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry initially said that the authorities opened fire because the group of Indonesians put up resistance when they were spotted.
But the ministry backtracked on its statement, after representatives of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur visited two of the injured victims, identified only as HA and MZ from Riau province, in a hospital in Selangor on Tuesday.
“They explained the chronology of events and said that their group did not put up a fight using sharp weapons against the APMM personnel,” the Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement issued on Wednesday.
It added that HA and MZ’s conditions were stable after receiving treatment at the hospital. Meanwhile, the other two injured victims were still in critical condition after undergoing surgery, hindering the embassy officials from collecting their statements.
Read also: Rights group urges Prabowo to be firm with Malaysia over migrant deaths
