Kunak waters shootout: MMEA personnel loses sight in left eye
TAWAU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) personnel who was shot in the eye in a shootout in the Kunak waters on Sunday has lost sight in his left eye.
MMEA director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin said the shot that struck petty officer Zainal Abad Komel, 45, hit the nerve of the eye.
“The surgery was performed at Tawau Hospital yesterday (April 7) and the procedure to remove the bullet took about two hours. The bullet was successfully removed and he is in stable condition.
“However, the doctor confirmed that he would be blind in one eye as the bullet hit the eye nerve, and he has lost one eye permanently. He will be in the hospital for a week for observation; once it’s okay he will be discharged,” he told reporters after visiting Zainal at Tawau Hospital yesterday.
On Sunday, MMEA personnel were on the Ops Pagar Laut Khas operation when they were shot at four times while approaching a boat to conduct an inspection.
In the 8.40am incident at 0.2 nautical miles northeast of Kampung Pangi in Kunak, Zainal was struck in the left eye while maritime leading rate Prayrie De Cuella Jimin, 35, was injured in both hands.
Hamid said that every security force member injured while on duty to maintain security will be given appropriate compensation and other assistance.
Meanwhile, he said that after the shooting, the suspects’ boat was seen speeding towards the Semporna sector, and the investigation also found that all the suspects were previously at Suba Duyung and Batik Parang for cross-border criminal activities, namely smuggling.