MIRI: The authorities have launched a manhunt for five Vietnamese fishermen who escaped from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detention facility here on Thursday (July 15).
District police chief ACP Hakemal Hawari confirmed that they have received a report pertaining to the incident.
“We will be assisting MMEA Miri to track down the male inmates who have escaped from the detention room early Thursday morning.
“The case is being investigated under Section 223 and Section 224 of the Penal Code,” he said.
The public are urged to provide information to the authorities, should they come across the inmates.
It is understood that the five escapees were among 13 foreign fishermen arrested for encroaching into Malaysian territorial waters on June 28.
The breakout was realised by a MMEA duty officer during a routine check at the detention room around 4.50am.
Investigations revealed that the inmates had escaped by cutting some iron bars in the room.
As of press time, the search is still ongoing.
