LANGKAWI: Four more bodies were recovered today as search and rescue (SAR) teams pressed on with efforts following the recent boat tragedy involving undocumented migrants near the Malaysia–Thailand maritime boundary.
Kedah and Perlis Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director, First Admiral Romli Mustafa, said the agency received a call from a member of the public reporting the discovery of the body of an adult male near Pulau Beras Basah.
“A vessel was immediately deployed to the location. The body was retrieved and brought to the MMEA jetty before being handed over to police,” he said in a statement today.
Shortly after, MMEA personnel located the body of a young boy floating off Tanjung Chincin.
“A few minutes later, our vessels found another unidentified body in the same area. The bodies were later transported to Teluk Ewa,” he added.
At 11.20am, a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) asset reported finding yet another boy’s body near Tanjung Belua, which was handed over to the police.
Romli said MMEA and all supporting agencies remain committed to locating the rest of the missing migrants.
Today’s discoveries bring the total number of bodies recovered in the joint Malaysian–Thai mission to 25. Sixteen were found in Malaysian waters and nine in Thailand, while all 13 survivors were found on the Malaysian side.
Authorities believe the migrants departed Buthidaung, Myanmar, nearly a month ago on a “mother vessel” carrying about 300 people. As it neared the Thailand–Malaysia maritime boundary, the group was split into three boats — the main vessel and two smaller ones.
One of the smaller boats, which carried about 70 people, is believed to have capsized, leaving many still unaccounted for. The remaining group of roughly 230 migrants from the original voyage has yet to be located.
The tragedy unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing conflict in Myanmar, which continues to force Rohingya families onto overcrowded, unseaworthy boats in search of safety.
The United Nations has long described the Rohingya as among the “most persecuted people in the world.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
