26 Rohingya feared drowned found alive off Malaysian coast
Malaysian authorities said July 27 that 26 Rohingya migrants, who had been feared drowned after jumping off a fishing boat, were found alive off the Malaysian coast on late July 26.
Rickety boats packed with refugees frequently run into trouble while trying to reach Malaysia and need rescuing by fishermen or Bangladeshi border guards (Photo: AFP)
Hanoi (VNA) - Malaysian authorities said July 27 that 26 Rohingya migrants,who had been feared drowned after jumping off a fishing boat, were found alive offthe Malaysian coast on late July 26.
All the migrants, who arrived on a small island off the northwest resort islandof Langkawi, have been detained and will undergo coronavirus tests before beinghanded to immigration authorities.
A search was launched at the weekend for the missing after a migrant travellingon the same vessel swam to shore on the resort island of Langkawi and raisedthe alarm, said coastguard chief Mohamad Zubil Mat Som.
According to him, people-smugglers had transferred theRohingya from a large boat to smaller fishing vessels before ferrying them ashore.
The authorities have identified the human smugglers, he said.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said that Malaysia can no longer take moreRohingya migrants as the economy struggles to recover following a strictlockdown./.
Thai police said on August 13 that they arrested 22 people accused for involvement in trafficking of Rohingya migrants from Myanmar as part of an ongoing large-scale crackdown launched in May.
A Rohingya migrant is said to be the only survivor from a boat carrying at least two dozen asylum seekers that is believed to have run into difficulty off the Malaysian coast near Thailand, a coastguard official of Malaysia said on July 26.
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