The incident happened at 12.15pm, when Dudong branch SUPP deputy chairman Wong Ching Yong, 58, was about to enter his car, NST Online reported.

He was confronted by a man who suddenly splashed a liquid on his face before fleeing with an accomplice waiting on a motorcycle.

Wong, an accountant by profession, immediately ran into a toilet of a nearby restaurant to wash his face.

He was taken to a private hospital here and later flown via helicopter to the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching for treatment.

A medical specialist from Kuala Lumpur is expected to attend to Wong’s case.

Sibu district police chief ACP Saiful Bahri Abdullah told the newspaper Wong sustained second degree burns on his face and right side of his body.

No arrests have been made so far.