MMEA Arrest 128 Rohingya Boat People In Langkawi Waters

The MMEA had arrested 128 Rohingya people in Langkawi waters some 5 nautical miles from Pulau Rebak on December 24.  The group include 4 women and 9 children. The arrest was made by an MMEA patrol boat at around 1700H. The coast guards on board the patrol boat became suspicious when they saw a cargo boat here in the local waters. The boat people were then taken to Bukit Malut jetty for further investigation.

This has been the second incidents involving Rohingya people and the MMEA within a period of a few days. Earlier on December 18, the MMEA has sent a patrol boat to fetch 40 Rohingya people that were rescued by a Vietnamese ship after their boat had shipwrecked at Bay of Bengal about two weeks earlier.(here)

Many of the ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar had tried to seek refuge and asylum in Malaysia in order to evade prosecution from the majority ethnic Rakhine in their homeland. At least 300 people have died trying to get to Malaysia in two separate incidents. (here and here)

Source  Malaysia Flying Herald: