A local scuba diving instructor was arrested after allegedly assaulting and threatening a 34-year-old tourist following a dispute during a diving trip.
The incident began on Tuesday (July 22) while both men were on a boat heading to the waters off Pulau Timba-Timba for a scuba diving session. The tourist’s oxygen tank accidentally fell and landed on the instructor’s foot, causing the instructor to become upset.
The situation escalated the next day when the 38-year-old instructor, after receiving treatment at Tawau Hospital, returned to the tour company to confront the tourist and demand compensation. A heated argument broke out, during which the instructor allegedly assaulted the tourist and threatened further harm.
A video of the confrontation went viral on social media. In the footage, the instructor is seen slapping the tourist while arguing with him and a woman believed to be accompanying the tourist.
The conversation, conducted in Mandarin, includes the tourist asking if the police have been called, while the woman repeatedly questions the instructor, “Does this have anything to do with us?”
Semporna acting OCPD Deputy Supt Jaafar Hakim confirmed the suspect’s arrest and stated the case is under investigation for voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation under Sections 323 and 506 of the Penal Code.
