SINTOK: Police and enforcement agencies have intensified surveillance operations around Langkawi following reports that a boat carrying hundreds of migrants may have sunk near the Malaysia-Thailand maritime border.
Kedah police chief Comm Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said patrols have been stepped up around Teluk Ewa and nearby coastal areas, urging residents to alert authorities if they come across any survivors hiding or stranded in the area.
He said accounts given differed, with some claiming that a main vessel carrying about 300 people sank, while others said the group had been transferred to three smaller boats, one of which capsized.
“Investigations are still ongoing. The figure of 300 passengers remains unverified. If accurate, we would likely have found more victims by now,” he told reporters at the 38th Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) convocation, Bernama reported.
Comm Adzli added that more victims could surface within the next three to seven days, either alive or otherwise.
Police are also working with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to determine the exact location where the vessel sank and efforts are underway to identify those responsible for smuggling the migrants into Malaysia.
Comm Adzli said survivors have been detained for not possessing valid travel documents, adding that investigators believe the syndicate had selected Langkawi as their intended landing point.
Preliminary questioning revealed that some of the migrants had paid about 400,000 Bangladeshi taka (RM13,600) each to the syndicate for the voyage, while others said their families would make payment after they arrived in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the Kedah/Perlis MMEA has activated the search and rescue operation for the victims, said its director First Admiral Maritime Romli Mustafa.
He said the operation was mounted after several victims, believed to be migrants from Myanmar, were found in Langkawi waters.
“Cross-border syndicates are actively exploiting immigrants by making them victims of human trafficking using sea routes that are highly risky.
“The agency will not compromise with any parties involved in human trafficking activities,” he said.
