Eight suspected pirates, alleged to have hijacked a Malaysian fuel tanker and fled to Vietnam waters, have confessed after being detained by the coast guard.
Eight alleged tanker pirates detained in Vietnam
The alleged leader, named Ruslan, told authorities he had gathered a 13-man gang and planned the hijacking on June 11 of the tanker MT Orkim Harmony, which was carrying 6,000 tonnes of gasoline to Kuantan in Malaysia.
One crew was shot in the leg during the attack.
The gang allegedly held the crew hostage and stayed at sea for a week while they negotiated sale of the fuel.
Taking testimony
When discovered by Malaysian authorities, they stole belongings of the crew and tried to escape into Vietnamese waters in a small boat. They threw away their weapons and posed as fishermen in distress. Authorities said they spoke Bahasa Indonesian.
Vietnam's coast guard had been alerted to the piracy and took them into custody on June 19.
On questioning, all denied any knowledge of the hijacking, but the coast guard, briefed on details of the incident by Malaysia, were able to extract confessions.
Investigations are continuing.