ONE of the three Lun Bawang youths caught for drug possession while crossing the border to Indonesia near Ba Kelalan was shot despite surrendering, a PKR assemblyman claimed today.

Ba Kelalan lawmaker Baru Bian said in the Sarawak state assembly that the youth, identified as Sigar Kadir, was shot in the right arm and thigh even though he had raised his hands in submission.

“When faced with arrest, he stood up and put his hands up, but was shot by the police twice, injuring his arm and thigh, with a bullet lodged in his thigh,” Baru said.

The Sarawak PKR chief also claimed Sigar was beaten up while in custody and was only taken to a hospital in Long Bawan on the insistence of a Malaysian police officer.

Additionally, Baru said, the youths were made to crawl for some distance when in custody of the Indonesian army, which ambushed the youths when they were on their way to Long Midang village in Indonesia.

He stated his opposition towards drug trafficking but stressed that this does not justify the youths’ mistreatment by the Indonesian authorities.

Baru called on the government to take immediate steps to avoid such incidences in the future and to organise a meeting of community leaders from both sides for reconciliation.

The three youths were caught near the border in possession of 50g of syabu (methamphetamine) by Indonesian soldiers on April 24.

However, Indonesian authorities claimed Sigar was shot for attempting to escape from police custody.

Ba Kelalan villagers, enraged by the shooting, set up a blockade on the only road between Ba Kelalan, the border and Long Midang on May 1 in an attempt to cut off essential supplies.

These include fuel, sugar, tea, coffee, flour, cooking oil, and building materials, such as zinc sheets, screws, and nails.

The blockade was dismantled on May 3 by Malaysian soldiers and police and no arrests were made. – May 17, 2017.