Boat carrying suspected Indonesian migrants capsizes off Malaysia
- Officials say an estimated 50 people were on the boat which capsized off Johor state on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula in bad weather
- Eleven bodies have been found and 25 people are missing. Search and rescue operations are under way
There were 14 people reported safe among the estimated 50 aboard the boat, which turned over in adverse weather off southern Johor state around 4.30am (local time).
Survivors and the boat were found on a beach in Tanjung Balau, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
“The boat was believed to have travelled from Indonesia and capsized after being hit by strong waves,” Johor maritime operations deputy director, Captain Simon Templer Lo Ak Tusa told reporters.
All migrants involved were Indonesian, the MMEA said.
Malaysia blamed for ‘inhumane’ treatment of captured illegal workers
The Indonesian consulate in Johor in a statement said its representatives were on location to help identify and manage the remains of the victims.
According to Anis Hidayah of Migrant CARE, a Jakarta-based non-government organisation, between 100,000 and 200,000 Indonesians travel illegally to Malaysia each year for work, many of them recruited by trafficking gangs and subjected to exploitation when they arrive.
“They travel to Malaysia by boat and there are so many accidents because they depart at night and arrive early in the morning,” she said, adding boats often stop before reaching land to avoid detection and require those aboard to swim ashore.
Simon, of the Malaysian maritime agency, urged migrants not to embark on such risky journeys.
“We would like to advise people, especially the undocumented migrants, … to use valid routes to prevent such incidents from recurring,” he said.
