Skipper And Assistant Jailed For Human Trafficking

KOTA TINGGI (Malaysia), Jan 26 (Bernama) -- An Indonesian skipper and his assistant were sentenced to eight years' jail by the Sessions Court here Thursday after they pleaded guilty to human trafficking. Alexander Yub Kalang, 48, and Mohd Jali Manaf, 32, were charged with committing the offence under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking In Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007. The offence carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years or fine or both, upon conviction. Alexander and Mohd Jali were detained after the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency found 45 Indonesian immigrants, all without valid travel documents, in their boat about 0.6 nautical miles south-west of Tanjung Pengelih at 11.55pm last Jan 12. Judge Salawati Djambari ordered Alexander and Mohd Jali to serve the sentence from the date of their arrest. Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Safarizal Zakaria prosecuted, while Alexander and Mohd Jali were unrepresented. -- BERNAMA