Malaysian coastguard shoots dead Vietnamese fisherman after South China Sea clash

Coastguard chief alleged the Vietnamese crew threw petrol and a tyre to try and set fire to the coastguard boat, which was damaged by ‘aggressive ramming’

The incident took occurred in Malaysian waters, where fisherman have complained about Vietnamese fishing boats damaging their nets

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Vietnamese fishing boats detained in Malaysian territorial waters in Kelantan. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00pm, 17 Aug 2020Updated: 6:03pm, 17 Aug 2020

The Malaysian coastguard shot dead a Vietnamese fisherman whose boat tried to ram a patrol vessel in the South China Sea, an official said on Monday.

The incident took place inside Malaysian waters, where local fisherman have complained in the past about Vietnamese fishing boats that damage their nets.

Coastguard chief Zubil Mat Som said two Vietnamese fishing boats had entered Malaysian waters some 80 nautical miles from Tok Bali, off the northeastern state of Kelantan late on Sunday.

“The coastguard crew had earlier fired warning shots in the air but after they rammed and threw a bottle of petrol, my men had no choice but to open fire in self defence,” he said.

Zubil alleged the Vietnamese crew had thrown petrol and a tyre to try and set fire to the coastguard boat, which was damaged by the “aggressive ramming”.

One Vietnamese fisherman suffered gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead after he was brought to shore.

“We are saddened by this deadly incident. But I can guarantee … my men took this action to protect their lives and to protect our national sovereignty,” Zubil added.