ALOR GAJAH, Sept 20 — The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) is tracking down a migrant smuggling syndicate involved in ramming one of its assets, an incident that left two officers injured on Tuesday.
Its Acting Deputy Director-General (Operations) Rear Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said investigators have already obtained leads on the syndicate through follow-up probes on other smuggling groups. This came after 20 undocumented migrants, including a skipper and crew member, were detained the next day.
“Based on investigations by our Melaka and Negeri Sembilan officers, we gathered information on the speedboat that rammed our asset. Investigations are ongoing in detail.
“These two cases involve different syndicates. In fact, there are many smuggling groups that openly promote their boats from Batam, Indonesia, into Malaysia to bring in undocumented migrants,” he told reporters after launching the ‘World Clean Up Day 2025′ programme at Pengkalan Balak Beach here today.
He said that MMEA is also monitoring syndicates promoting such activities on social media.
Mohd Zawawi said the waters of the Straits of Malacca — particularly off Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor — remain the main entry route used by smugglers due to their proximity to Indonesia, especially Pulau Rupat.
The damaged MMEA vessel after it was rammed by a suspected migrant smuggling speedboat near Tanjung Rhu, Sepang, on Tuesday night. — Picture via Facebook/maritimmalaysia
Meanwhile, he confirmed that the two injured officers are in stable condition and have been discharged.
“One is undergoing regular follow-up treatment while the other only suffered bruises. There were no serious injuries or permanent disability,” he said.
Earlier, the media reported that two MMEA personnel from Melaka and Negeri Sembilan sustained injuries when their vessel was rammed by a suspected migrant smuggling speedboat near Tanjung Rhu, Sepang, on Tuesday night.
In that 9pm incident, a 34-year-old officer suffered injuries to his nose while another, aged 36, was hurt on his legs and hands.
On Wednesday, MMEA Melaka and Negeri Sembilan detained a speedboat carrying 20 migrants off Tanjung Kling.
The boat, found drifting about 11 nautical miles southwest of the area at 9.25 pm, was believed to be heading to Pulau Besar waters to transfer the migrants onto a local vessel before its engine broke down. — Bernama
