Two boats believed to be carrying around 300 Rohingya Muslims were reportedly turned away by Malaysian authorities on Saturday. The Rohingyas were trying to enter the country illegally. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement confirmed that it had prior intimation about two boats trying to enter their territory.
The people on the boats reportedly did not have the necessary supplies. Therefore, the Malaysian authorities provided food supplies and drinking water before turning the boats away. The information was given by the Chief of the Maritime Enforcement Agency, Mohammad Rosli Abdullah in his statement. “The MMEA provided assistance, including food and clean drinking water, before expelling the boats out to the national maritime border to continue their journey”, Abdullah said.
Two other boats were also detected by the Malaysian authorities on Friday. The same day around 196 Rohingyas were detained by the authorities on a beach on the northeastern report island of Langkawi. The Malaysian authorities have been monitoring the movement of such boats in coordination with Thai authorities.
It is not known from where the Rohingyas came. Notably, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have entered Bangladesh in large numbers, and many of them are being lured by traffickers to other countries with the promise of better lives. Over 1 million Rohingya Muslims live in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar amid ethnic violence in the country. Being a Muslim-majority country, Malaysia is a popular destination for Rohingyas looking to escape crowded camps in Bangladesh.
The country had earlier accepted Rohingya Muslims. However, recently it has tried to limit their intake apprehending their mass influx. Around 111,410 Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers were registered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Malaysia in November last year. This number alone amounts to about 58 per cent of total refugee population in Malaysia.