MADRID Jan. 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Saturday, Malaysian authorities intercepted two boats carrying almost 300 irregular migrants off the southwest coast of Pulau Rebak, on the island of Langkawi, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
“It is estimated that there were nearly 300 people on board. The agency provided immediate assistance, including food supplies and drinking water, before escorting the ships out of Malaysian waters to continue their journey,” the agency said in a statement. Director-general of the MMEA, Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah, according to the Malay Mail news portal.
Passengers were showing signs of exhaustion, and work is currently underway with Thai authorities to obtain more information on the vessel movements.
Mohd Rosli has urged the maritime community to be alert and report suspicious activities through emergency numbers.
Although the origin of the migrants has not yet been confirmed, it is suspected that they could be Rohingya Muslim refugees.
Muslim-majority Malaysia has often been one of the main destinations for Rohingya who have decided to leave Burma following the wave of violence recorded in August 2017 in Rakhine State.
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