Smuggling foiled: The 27 illegal migrants who were detained after the Selangor MMEA intercepted a Class C local fishing vessel in the waters off Sungai Besar, Selangor.
KLANG: A bid by 27 undocumented migrants to enter Malaysia illegally ended in failure after two nights at sea.
The foreigners, who were from Tanjung Balai, Indonesia, were detained off Sungai Besar waters by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
Selangor MMEA director Maritime Cap Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the agency managed to intercept the fishing vessel following intelligence received from the MMEA headquarters.
“The syndicate departed from Tanjung Balai and is believed to have spent two nights at sea during transit. The migrants were transferred to a local vessel before attempting to enter through a legitimate fishing jetty at Sungai Besar,” he said during a press conference at the Selangor MMEA headquarters yesterday.
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, about one nautical mile south-west of the Sungai Besar estuary, due to low tide,” he said.
Abdul Muhaimin said inspections revealed that the vessel was operated by a 37-year-old skipper and two Indonesian crew members aged 35 and 59.
On board were 27 undocumented migrants, including 20 men and seven women aged between 22 and 70, none of whom possessed valid identification documents.
It was reported that the skipper had only been engaged in smuggling operations for two months, while the two crew members had been aboard for just six days.
He added that the migrant smuggling syndicate was believed to have changed its modus operandi by using local fishing vessels to evade detection and take advantage of the demand for foreign labour in the fisheries sector.
Abdul Muhaimin further revealed that the syndicate is believed to have charged between RM2,000 and RM2,500 per migrant.
“Typically, each migrant is believed to have paid between RM1,000 and RM1,500. In this latest case, the estimated amount was between RM2,000 and RM2,500 per person, depending on the agent and destination,” he said.
Abdul Muhaimin said the owner of the fishing vessel, a 60-year-old local man, has been identified for further action.
The case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering the country through an ungazetted route without valid documents, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom) and the Fisheries Act 1985 for employing foreign workers without authorisation.
Meanwhile, Abdul Muhaimin urged the public with information on maritime crimes or emergencies at sea to contact the Selangor Maritime Operations Centre at 013-660 6652 or the 999 emergency line.
