LUMUT: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a local fishing boat with six illegal immigrants on board, including two women in Hutan Melintang waters at 5.45pm yesterday.
District MMEA chief Capt Zulinda Ramly said the boat was detained while trying to enter Kuala Sungai Bernam waters.
“When the boat was detained, there were four crew members manning the boat, after inspecting the boat we found another two women who were hiding”
She added that both of them did not have any identification documents.
“All crew members on board are foreigners (Indonesians) aged 21 to 36 years old. We suspect that the women, aged 20 and 45 years old had been transferred from a boat coming in from Tanjung Balai, Indonesia in the middle of the ocean,” she said.
“They are now being remanded for 14 days and will be investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/1963 and Anti Trafficking in Persons and Anti Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM).