Eight Indonesian men jailed for robbing MT Orkim Harmony (Updated)

KULAI: Eight Indonesians today were each sentenced to between 15 and 18 years' jail, and whipping, for robbing tanker ship MT Orkim Harmony off Tanjung Sedili in June last year.
Ruslan, 63; Kurniawan, 50; Abner Loit, 29; Jhon Danyel Despol, 39; Anjas, 28; Randy Aditya, 20; Fauji Adha, 28; and Hendry Andaria, 40, had pleaded guilty.
Judge Salawati Djambar ordered the sentences to commence today, with six of them — Abner, Jhon Danyel, Anjas, Randy, Fauji and Hendry — to be given five strokes of the cane each.
The eight had committed the offence at 12.4 nautical miles east of Pulau Tokong Yu at about 9pm on June 11, 2015.
The charge, under Section 395 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 397, provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping.
The ship, with 22 crew on board and carrying 5,879 metric tonnes of RON95 petrol worth RM11 million, was from the Sungai Udang jetty in Malacca on its way to Tanjung Gelang Port in Kuantan when it was hijacked, Bernama reported.
In mitigation, the Indonesians, who were unrepresented, said they had families to support and regretted their action.
However, the prosecution said the case involved security issues, had received wide media coverage, as well as caused the government almost RM500,000 in costs, including expenses to send the ship back to Kuantan Port in Pahang from Vietnam, where it was found, and to extradite the eight from Vietnam to Malaysia.
The prosecution was conducted by six deputy public prosecutors, led by Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas.
Also present in court was the Indonesian Consul-General Wino Sumarno.
In Johor Baru, LOW SOCK KEN reported the suspects were extradited from Hanoi in Vietnam and flown to the Senai International Airport here yesterday.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar, who headed the extradition mission, said the suspects arrived on a commercial flight at 6.15am.
It was the first time the agency had executed an extradition to charge suspects in court.
Ahmad Puzi said the extradition was done under tight security, with 40 men and officers from the agency's Special Action Unit, Intelligence Branch and Criminal Investigation Branch.