KLANG: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) foiled attempts to smuggle in 27 undocumented migrants off the waters of Sungai Besar on Saturday (Jan 10).
Selangor MMEA director Maritime Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the agency managed to intercept the fishing vessel following intelligence received from the MMEA headquarters.
He said the vessel crew failed to cooperate during the interception, resulting in a scuffle when enforcement officers attempted to conduct an inspection.
“The skipper jumped into the sea in an attempt to escape but was successfully apprehended. The vessel later ran aground at about 1am, approximately one nautical mile southwest of the Sungai Besar estuary, due to low tide,” he said during a press conference at the Selangor MMEA headquarters on Sunday (Jan 11).
Abdul Muhaimin said inspections revealed that the vessel was operated by a 37-year-old skipper and two Indonesian crew members, aged between 35 and 59, and was carrying 27 undocumented migrants comprising 20 men and seven women, aged between 22 and 70, all of whom did not possess valid identification documents.
He added that the migrant smuggling syndicate was believed to have changed its modus operandi by using local fishing vessels to evade detection, while taking advantage of the demand for foreign labour in the fisheries sector.
“Each migrant is believed to have paid between RM1,000 and RM1,500, but for this latest case, the amount is estimated at between RM2,000 and RM2,500 per person, depending on the agent and destination,” he said.
The case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering the country through an ungazetted route and without valid documents, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom), as well as the Fisheries Act 1985 for employing foreign workers without authorisation.
All suspects, together with the vessel, were detained and seized. They were brought to the Pulau Indah Marine Police Jetty for further action.
In the meantime, Abdul Muhaimin stressed that the MMEA would not compromise on cross-border crimes and would continue to tighten controls and enhance enforcement operations in Malaysian waters.
“We will intensify operations by focusing on syndicate masterminds, skippers and agents to ensure these activities are completely eradicated,” he said.
He also urged members of the public with information related to maritime crimes or emergencies at sea to contact the Selangor Maritime Operations Centre at 013-660 6652 or the 999 emergency line.
