Two Rohingya men nabbed for smuggling 269 migrants into Langkawi

Two Rohingya men who are believed to have masterminded the illegal entry of another 269 fellow Rohingya into Malaysia last month were detained in an operation involving five agencies in Langkawi recently.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Kedah and Perlis director Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said the two men, aged 29 and 35, were nabbed after almost two months of surveillance.

The agencies involved in the joint operation were the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Immigration Department, and the Royal Malaysian Navy, he said.

Mohd Zawawi added that the two had been actively smuggling Rohingya people into Langkawi.

“Both men, who are also UNHCR cardholders, were arrested in a restaurant in Padang Matsirat at 3am on July 21, where they had also tried to offer a RM25,000 bribe to allow fellow migrants to enter via sea routes.

“Those two arrests led to 31 Rohingya illegals being detained in a house in Kuala Teriang that was made into a transit home. We also arrested the caretaker (Myanmar national) and his Thai wife, and another Myanmar man who acted as their transporter,” he told a media conference here today.

Mohd Zawawi said the two suspects will be investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007 and the MACC Act.

“The 34, meanwhile, will be investigated under ATIPSOM 2007 and the Immigration Act 1959/63.

“We hope these arrests will serve as a deterrent against efforts to smuggle in illegals via Langkawi waters. However, the authorities will continue to be vigilant,” he said.

- Bernama

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