Border shooting: First time for shootout to occur - IGP

Prior to today's fatal shooting, General Operations Force (GOF) members on duty at the Malaysia-Thailand border area had only heard the sound of gunfire directed at the Border Wall TS9 control post from the other side of the country, said Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador.

These gunshots were heard on Nov 12 and 15.

However, today's gunshots, which were directed near the TS9 control post in Padang Besar, Perlis, at 2.30am, resulted in the death of a GOF personnel and serious injury to another.

Abdul Hamid said this was the first time that a shootout had occurred at the Malaysia-Thailand border between the GOF and smugglers, causing the death of a security personnel.

“This shows that the smugglers are becoming more aggressive and bolder in attacking GOF personnel on duty at the border,” he told a special press conference at Bukit Aman today.

Bernama earlier reported that a member of the GOF who was on duty at the Malaysia-Thailand border in Padang Besar, Perlis, was killed in the shootout with a group of smugglers, while another was critically injured.

The deceased was identified at Corporal Baharuddin Ramli, 54, from the Semelai tribe, while Corporal Norihan a/l Tari was badly injured and is undergoing treatment at the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Kangar.

Commenting further, Abdul Hamid said he had ordered Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Huzir Mohamed to assist the Perlis and Kedah Police Contingent headquarters to carry out further investigations into the case.

“I’ve told them (the Perlis and Kedah CID forensic teams) not to miss out on any standard operating procedures (SOP) in investigating the case should it be brought to trial later.

“Apart from that, police will also continue to cooperate and be in contact with the Thai police to trace and track down the remaining smugglers on the Thai side to be brought to Malaysia to face the legal process here,” he added.

Abdul Hamid said he had also asked GOF Northern Brigade commander SAC Abdul Ghani Mohamad Ji to lead security control operations at the national border with regard to this case.

“Perlis police chief Surina Saad and Defence Force chief Affendi Buang have been informed of the matter so as to raise the level of security control and preparedness in the border areas, among them in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah and Kelantan,” he added.

- Bernama