ALOR SETAR: A boat believed to be carrying nearly 100 undocumented migrants of various nationalities capsized near the Malaysia-Thailand maritime border, with six survivors found in Langkawi waters.
Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said the six rescued individuals included three Myanmar men, two Rohingya men, and one Bangladeshi man, while the body of a Rohingya woman was also found drifting at sea.
"At 9am on Saturday (Nov 8), we received a call from the public reporting three men drifting near Teluk Ewa, Langkawi. They were rescued and handed over to the police. In the afternoon, three more men and the body of a woman were found in the same area.
"Preliminary investigations found that about a month ago, they boarded a large vessel carrying 300 people to enter Malaysia. However, as they neared the border, they were instructed to transfer onto three smaller boats, each carrying an estimated 100 people,” he said when contacted by Bernama on Sunday (Nov 9).
He said the boat transfer was done to avoid detection by the authorities.
"However, three days ago, the boat they were on capsized, and the incident is believed to have occurred in Thai waters before they drifted into Malaysian waters.
"The status of the other two boats is still unknown. We have requested the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Marine Police to launch search and rescue operations for the other victims and the missing boats,” he said.
Adzli said further investigations will be carried out on the six men, who are currently detained at the Langkawi District Police Headquarters, adding that the woman’s body has been sent to Sultanah Maliha Hospital, Langkawi. - Bernama
