70 illegals in leaking vessel nabbed at sea

70 illegals in leaking vessel nabbed at sea

Wednesday June 10, 2009

PORT KLANG: Seventy illegal immigrants sneaking out of Malaysia were detained by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) officers during an ambush near here on Monday night.

And the 70 Indonesian nationals can consider themselves lucky. The boat they were in, which was too small for a group that size, was already leaking when the agency caught up with them and averted what could have been a tragedy.

Following a tip-off, five APMM officers in a speedboat stopped the Indonesians as they made their way out in a fishing boat from Pulau Ketam.

Six children below the age of three were also in the group of Indonesians comprising

34 men and 30 women aged between 19 and 45.

APMM southern region enforcement chief First Admiral Che Hassan Jusoh said in a statement that the enforcement team managed to stop the boat and nab the occupants after a 10-minute chase 1.9 nautical miles west of Pulau Ketam.

The passengers were brought ashore for questioning before they were handed over to the Immigration Department.

The illegal immigrants, believed to have been heading towards Tanjong Balai Asahan, Indonesia, are liable to be charged under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for leaving the country through an illegal exit point.