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Thursday February 15, 2007

Fishing jaunt turns into trip of terror for seven friends

IPOH: A fishing and diving jaunt turned into a trip of terror for seven friends when officers of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) allegedly threatened them with guns at Pulau Jarak, off Lumut.

However, no one was injured during the 3pm incident on Tuesday.

Boat captain Loh Khoy Lee, 46, said two of his friends were scuba diving while the rest were fishing when the APMM officers told them they had entered an off limit zone and insisted on escorting his boat back to the APMM base in Lumut.

“As two of my friends were still underwater at that time, I told them to allow me to wait for them to surface before following them back to the base,” he said yesterday.

“However, an officer on the ship refused. We were shocked when the officer, who was holding a rifle, fired a shot into the water instead.”

Frightened, Loh agreed to follow the officers to the base in his boat. However, he appealed to them and they allowed him to return to the diving spot to pick up his friends.

“What is more puzzling is that I have not been told what I am going to be charged with, and my MyKad has been retained by the APMM,” said Loh, who has been detained at the Lumut base since Tuesday night.

Loh’s friends lodged a report at the Sitiawan police station yesterday morning.

Manjung OCPD ACP Hashim Harun said the police were still investigating the matter.

“We will summon the APMM officer today to get a clearer picture of what actually occurred,” he added.

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