Stranded on island for days

KLANG: For four days, four Indonesians were left stranded on an island without food on an island near here after being cheated by a smuggler.

Desperate, they tried to swim the 30km (16 nautical miles) back to the Pulau Indah mainland but got lucky as they were rescued near Pulau Pintu Gedong. They were then handed over to the authorities.

Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Maritime Captain Siva Kumar Vengadasalam said they received a report from the Johor Baru Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) following a public complaint at about 2.15pm yesterday.

“We deployed a vessel to the area about 0.7 nautical miles off Pulau Pintu Gedong.

“We found that the four men had been rescued by a Port Klang pilot boat,” he said in a statement. Siva Kumar said checks revealed that the four men were Indonesians aged between 26 and 43.

“They are illegal immigrants who were attempting to leave the country but were left stranded at Pulau Che Mat Zin after being cheated by a migrant smuggling syndicate agent.

“They then tried to swim to Pulau Indah after being stranded for four days without food,” he said, adding that the men did not have any valid documents on them.

Siva Kumar said the men were brought to the Pulau Indah Marine Police Jetty for further action.

“The case is being investigated under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act for failing to produce a passport or travel documents to enforcement personnel,” he said.

Those with complaints or information on criminal activities are urged to contact the Selangor MMEA at 03-3176 0627 or MERS 999 for immediate action.