Indonesian pirates jailed in Malaysia

Indonesian pirates jailed in Malaysia

MALAYSIA: Seven Indonesian pirates were sentenced to six years' jail and several lashes of the cane in Malaysia, reports said on Tuesday.

The seven, arrested earlier this year, were found guilty of attempted robbery, possession of dangerous weapons and entering the country illegally, The New Straits Times said.

A court in the southern state of Johor sentenced two of the group to 76 months' jail and eight strokes of the cane. Five others were also given lengthy jail terms and seven strokes while one of the pirates was spared the lashing because he is aged over 50.

The seven were arrested on April 21 in waters off Johor, near neighboring Singapore, following a series of attacks on ships. Police believed they were involved in the April 8 robbery of a Singapore-owned oil tanker, the Kyosei Maru in Johor's Tanjung Pelepas port in the Singapore Strait. -- AFP