The suspect in the Okim Harmony train hijacking has pleaded guilty.

(Baonghean.vn) - The Deputy Director-General of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Vice Admiral Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar, confirmed today (June 21) that the suspects, all Indonesian nationals, have pleaded guilty to Vietnamese authorities.

The Orkim Harmony, hijacked on June 11, was escorted back to Kuantan port by the Indonesian Navy on June 20. Photo: Twitter.

Datuk Ahmad Puzi added that the agency is closely monitoring the situation, but declined to comment further.

These eight individuals were apprehended in Vietnamese territorial waters near Tho Chu Island after they allegedly escaped from the MT Orkim Harmony in a lifeboat at 8:30 p.m. on June 18.

Earlier, the pirates had demanded that the Malaysian Navy keep its vessels at a distance of 5 nautical miles (9 km) from the Orkim Harmony, threatening to injure the ship's crew if they did not comply.

This escape attempt was discovered at around 1:00 AM on June 19th when the captain of the hijacked oil tanker contacted the Malaysian Navy vessel KD Terengganu.

The captain did not dare inform the Malaysian navy about the pirates' escape early because they threatened to endanger his family if he did.

The oil tanker Orkim Harmony, owned by the private Malaysian shipping company Magna Meridian and carrying 6,000 tons of petroleum products worth $7.5 million for Petronas, was reported missing on June 11 while en route from Malacca to Kuantan port in Pahang.

The ship was reported to be adrift in Cambodian waters before suddenly changing course eastward toward Natuna Island, Indonesia. The pirates also repainted the ship and changed its name to 'Kim Harmon'.

On the morning of June 20th, the oil tanker and its 21 crew members arrived at Kuantan port. Prior to that, on June 19th, another crew member was airlifted to a hospital for treatment after being shot in the thigh.

Thu Giang

(According to The Star)