Malaysian authorities are concerned that up to 300 people on a cross-border ship sank near the Malaysia - Thailand border. Kedah state police said at least one woman was killed and 10 people were rescued, including those without documents.
The incident was only discovered when a commercial vessel operating in Teluk Ewa spotted three men drifting at sea on November 8.
Adzli Abu Shah, police chief of Kedah state, said a ship believed to be carrying more than 100 people capsized near tarutao island, north of Langkawi island. Two other ships carrying similar quantities were also reported missing.
According to the survivors, they departed from Myanmar on a "mother ship" carrying about 300 people and had been drifting for nearly a month at sea. Some victims said the mother ship capsized, others said the group was divided into three smaller ships and one of them had an accident.
Adzli Abu Shah believes the theory of splitting people into small ships is more reasonable because human trafficking rings often use this method to avoid detection.
The authorities determined that the victims could be illegal migrants or members of a cross-border human trafficking ring. Each person must pay from 13,500 to 15,000 ringgit (73-82 million VND) to be taken to Malaysia.
Adzli Abu Shah said the rescue work is continuing with the support of the Malaysian maritime law enforcement force. He stressed that if the sunken ship actually carried 300 people, the number of people found so far was only a very small part.
Malaysia has long been a destination for millions of immigrant workers from poor Asian regions. Unlicensed border crossing people often find ways to enter the country to work in fields such as construction and agriculture. However, sea crossing always has great potential risks, leading to many tragedies, including the death of more than 20 people in December 2021 when a migration ship capsized in Malaysian waters.
