A policeman who used his M16 rifle to fire several shots in the air here yesterday, is believed to be under stress.

Padang Besar district police chief Supt Ghazani Abdul Ghani said the policeman attached to 1st Battalion, General Operations Force (GOF) based in Ulu Kinta, Perak, had been arrested.

"The 34-year-old corporal emptied a whole magazine of his M16 rifle by firing several shots into the air. He then grabbed a colleague's M16 rifle and did the same.

"No one was hurt. The corporal was probably under stress and took drugs to address it because a urine test for drug proved positive," said Ghazani when contacted today.

The incident happened at about 5 pm at a security post near the

Malaysia-Thailand border.

Ghazani said the corporal was arrested by his fellow colleagues and handed over to the Padang Besar police for further action.

The police also seized two M16 rifles and three rifle magazines.

The corporal joined a month-long operation with his squad at the Malaysia-Thailand border here and should have returned to Ulu Kinta today.

In another development, Bernama understood that the police today obtained a four-day remand order on the corporal to aid the investigation. - BERNAMA