M'sian Authorities Foil Smuggling Of Eight Pakistan Nationals

ALOR GAJAH (Melaka, Malaysia), Feb 3 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) foiled an attempt to smuggle out eight Pakistan nationals including a child in an operation in the Pulau Perjudi waters, off Port Dickson, in Negeri Sembilan state, Thursday night. Kuala Linggi district MMEA chief, Maritime Captain Ibrahim Mohamed said the eight Pakistanis, aged between 10 and 40, were arrested at 10.45pm by a 19-member enforcement team in an integrated operation which also involved the police and Immigration Department. He said acting on a public tip-off, an MMEA patrol boat intercepted a boat which was leaving the Pulau Perjudi waters and believed to be heading for Indonesia and then to Australia. "The boat was ordered to stop, but it instead sped off towards land and the boat skipper tried to flee together with the migrants," he told a news conference, here, Fridah. However, the enforcement team managed to nab the Indonesian bot skipper, the eight Pakistanis and two local men who were also involved in the smuggling attempt. Ibrahim said in the operation, the MMEA also seized foreign currencies in US dollars, Pakistan rupees, Afghanistan afghanis and Sri Lanka rupees worth a total of RM45,000. He said the initial investigation revealed that the Pakistani migrants had each paid between US$1,000 and US$6,000 for their journey to Australia. They had, however, entered Malaysia legally by land from Thailand on Jan 27 and 31, he added. The case is being investigated under the Anti-Human Trafficking and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007. -- BERNAMA