PETALING JAYA: Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto is confident Malaysia will conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting of five Indonesian migrant workers by Malaysian maritime officers in Selangor last week.
Indonesian national news agency Antara reported that one Indonesian was killed and four others were injured when they were shot by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officers in the waters off Tanjung Rhu when trying to leave Malaysia illegally.
The shooting has caused a national outcry in Indonesia, with nearly 100 demonstrators from various rights groups and labour unions throwing eggs at the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta yesterday.
Prabowo said he discussed the incident with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during their meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
“We are certain that Malaysia will carry out the best investigation,” Prabowo was quoted as saying in the Antara report.
He also reminded Indonesians not to be lured into working illegally in other countries.
“Our citizens should not be deceived by syndicates making false promises,” Prabowo said in a Kompas report.
While Malaysian authorities claim last Friday’s shooting happened when the five Indonesian migrant workers tried to resist arrest, Indonesia’s foreign ministry has denied this version of events.
In the Antara report, Judha Nugraha, the director for citizen protection at the Indonesian foreign ministry, said there was no resistance from the migrants based on the accounts of the four survivors who are currently being treated at Klang Hospital.
The body of the 54-year-old man who was killed in the incident was repatriated to his hometown in Riau on Wednesday.
