MELAKA – Malaysia will work with Indonesia for confirmation on the discovery of a body at Pulau Rupat, Indonesia believed to be that of one of two fishermen feared drowned on January 13.
Melaka police chief Datuk Abdul Majid Mohd Ali said it was too early to make any confirmation or speculation as the information available and investigations were still premature.
He said Malaysian police needed at least a week to get confirmation on the matter as it involved several processes and the investigation was to be conducted by the Indonesian police since the body was found there.
“Police have obtained preliminary information on the discovery but we have to screen it again and will cooperate with the Indonesian police. This requires further and more detailed investigation.
“We will only make an application to bring home the body as soon as the investigation by Indonesian police is completed,” he told reporters here today.
Based on the initial information obtained, Majid said the body was believed to be that of one of the fishermen who went missing in Pulau Undan recently. A Malaysian driver’s licence was found on the fully dressed body, which had been decomposing for three to four days.
He said a search-and-rescue operation began on Sunday to find the two fishermen but stopped yesterday.
A 14-second video that went viral today showed a body in a red shirt and black pants believed to be that of a local fisherman who was feared drowned in the waters of Indonesia. A driving licence belonging to Ahmad Norizan Mohamad, 37, was found on the body.
Bernama had earlier reported that Irwan Radjab, 47, and Norizan were feared drowned while out fishing in the Straits of Melaka, near Pulau Undan, on January 13. – Bernama, January 19, 2021
