By Aida Aziz
Photo: Police
MANJUNG: Thirty Indonesian nationals including a boat skipper, were detained after their boat broke down and drifted for approximately eight days around 9.8 nautical miles off Tanjung Hantu, Segari.
According to Manjung District Police Chief, ACP Mohamed Nordin Abdullah, on Saturday at around 8:34 PM, the Manjung District Police Headquarters (IPD) received information regarding the detention of a wooden boat at the location under suspicious circumstances.
“The boat is believed to have carried foreign nationals from Indonesia through an unauthorized route.
“After successfully intercepting the boat, the Marine Police conducted an inspection and detained a boat skipper, 24 men, and five women, all Indonesian nationals, for allegedly entering Malaysia without valid travel documents.
“All detainees and seized items were handed over to the Manjung IPD for further investigation,” he said in a statement here today.
Additionally, he said that initial police investigations revealed that all the detainees had gathered at a location believed to be around Sabak Bernam before boarding the boat on August 3.
He added that the boat then experienced mechanical issues and drifted for about eight days until it was finally detected by the Marine Police.
As a result, the case is being investigated under Section 26a of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (APTISOM 2007) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959.
