The incident occurred about 80 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Gelang, Pahang, at 5.25am when members of the KM Satria patrol vessel were conducting Op Kuda Laut.

They spotted two boats which tried to escape, said Pahang MMEA director Amran Daud.

He said members of the MMEA team approached one of the boats but were attacked by the crew members with machetes and hard objects when they tried to get onboard.

The MMEA team fired several shots in the air but the fishermen continued the attack, forcing them to open fire at the boat, he said.

Two crew members and the taikong (skipper) were injured by bullet fragments in the thighs, arms and face and were taken to the Kuantan Marine Police Force (PPM) jetty before receiving treatment at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan.

Nineteen crew members, including the skipper, aged between 16 and 60, were arrested and brought to the Kemaman Maritime Base in Terengganu.

Amran said the MMEA team seized the two boats and catch totalling RM1.5 million.

He said 795 foreign fishermen had been arrested under Op Kuda Laut since last June to prevent them from encroaching into Malaysian waters.