MMEA officer loses left eyesight

Sorry sight: Admiral Hamid visiting Zainal, who is blinded in his left eye after he was involved in a shootout with smugglers in Sabah’s Kunak waters.

TAWAU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) team involved in a shootout with suspected criminals on a boat had wanted to offer help after it appeared aground. But what they did not expect was the good deed being returned with four gunshots.

Recalling the incident, MMEA Petty Officer Zainal Abad Komel said it happened very fast and they did not expect criminals to be on board the boat.