Rohingya refugee boat turned back on Monday, says MMEA chief

A boat carrying hundreds of Rohingya made several attempts to enter Malaysia's waters on Monday but turned back after spotting patrol vessels, said Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Admiral Zubil Mat Som.

According to a report by AFP, Zubil (photo, above) said that the boat was believed to have been at sea for three to four months and tried several times to enter the country’s waters before giving up.

Up to 300 Rohingya were on board the latest vessel, Zubil told AFP.

“The presence of navy ships, coastguard vessels and police boats at sea discouraged the migrant boat from entering our waters,” Zubil said adding the vessel was last spotted in Thai waters not far from Malaysia.

The Malaysian government has cited Covid-19 measures as justification for turning boats away from their coast.

It is believed that they were originally part of another group of 269 Rohingya that was allowed to land in Langkawi on Monday after officials discovered their boat was too badly damaged to be turned back. The boat was said to have been deliberately damaged.

Rights groups say the migrants set off from Bangladesh in one vessel but were later separated into two groups.

All 269 were arrested and placed at Kem Bina Negara Wawasan in Langkawi.

Zubil said people-smugglers have now resorted to trying to bring Rohingya into the country using speed boats, which are harder to detect than the rickety fishing trawlers they usually travel on.

On April 16, the Royal Malaysian Navy turned back a boat carrying about 200 Rohingya women, men and children, while providing food to those on board.

On April 15, the Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 382 Rohingya people from a large boat. The boat had been turned back by the Malaysian authorities and is believed to have been at sea for two months.

Early reports stated that at least two dozen people on the boat died at sea, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that the survivors were severely malnourished and dehydrated.

On April 5, another boat carrying 202 Rohingya people was intercepted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Its passengers were brought to safety and placed in Covid-19 quarantine. - Mkini