IPOH: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) rescued 23 Indonesian illegal immigrants after the boat they were travelling on capsized in the waters off Pulau Pangkor near Lumut.
Perak MMEA director Capt Mohamad Shukri Khotob said the agency received a report at about 5.30am from a local fisherman who spotted several victims floating on Monday and immediately sought assistance.
Following the report, a search-and-rescue (SAR) operation was launched, with two MMEA vessels deployed, assisted by the Marine Police Force, the Royal Malaysian Navy and members of the local fishing community.
“A local fishing vessel successfully rescued 23 victims comprising 16 men and seven women, all of whom have been handed over to the authorities for further investigation at the Manjung district police headquarters,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Mohamad Shukri said preliminary investigations revealed that 37 illegal immigrants were believed to have been on board the boat.
While 23 individuals were rescued, the remaining victims are still missing, and SAR operations are ongoing.
He said authorities also recovered three bags containing clothing believed to belong to the victims, and identification procedures are being conducted on the survivors.
“Initial investigations found that all of them are believed to have departed from Kisaran, Indonesia, on May 9 en route to Malaysia, with destinations believed to include Penang, Terengganu, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur,” he said, Bernama reported.
In a separate development, Mohamad Shukri said the MMEA detained a Class C fishing vessel during an enforcement operation conducted last Sunday.
The vessel was intercepted about 5.2 nautical miles south-east of Pulau Samak at 6.39pm.
Inspections found that the vessel was operated by three Myanmar crew members, including a skipper, aged between 42 and 45.
“All crew members are suspected of committing offences under the Fisheries Act 1985 for fishing within less than 15 nautical miles from the nearest shoreline, as well as not possessing valid identification documents under the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said.
