Consulate General Ensures Safety Of Indonesians In Johor Bahru

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 16 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, is looking into the safety of 41 Indonesians, who were in a boat that capsized in Ramunia Gulf, Johor, Malaysia on January 14. Endro Sulaksono, an Indonesian police officer who works at the consulate general, said here on Wednesday that the victims were tricked by some people. The victims were requested to pay 500 to 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit for a boat ride that would take them to Indonesia. Among the 41 victims, four are women. Two of them are pregnant. There are 35 men and two infants. They have been given shelter in the Tanjung Sedili regional maritime office. The women and infants will be repatriated to Indonesia immediately. According to Malaysian regulations, the men will have to go through an investigation process before they are repatriated to Indonesia. On January 14, a boat, which was carrying 41 Indonesian citizens who did not have proper identification documents and three boatmen, capsized after being hit by a huge wave in Ramunia Gulf, Johor, on its way to Batam, Indonesia. The boat was supposed to carry 47 passengers, but six of them were asked to get off due to the overcapacity. After sailing for about 10 minutes, a huge wave hit the boat, causing it to capsize. The three boatmen swam to a nearby beach located one kilometre away from the boat. The victims survived by holding on to the capsized boat for about three hours before they were finally rescued by patrol officers from the Johor Maritime and Johor Marine Police.