HUNDREDS of people are feared dead after a boat packed with migrants capsized near the coast of Thailand.
Neighbouring Malaysian authorities said they recovered at least seven bodies and rescued 13 more people.
A staff member of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) searching for suvivors after a boat carrying migrants from Myanmar capsized near the Malaysia-Thailand borderCredit: AFP
Rohingya migrants on a boat drifting in Thai waters off the southern island of Koh Lipe in the Andaman sea (stock picture)Credit: AFP
Officials believe the boat was carrying undocumented migrants who departed from Myanmar.
They were part of a group of at least 300 people that had split between several vessels.
Two other vessels, believed to be carrying some of the group of 300 migrants who had departed from Myanmar, have also been reported missing.
The boat that capsized near Thailand’s Tarutao Island and just north of Malaysia’s island resort of Langkawi was carrying some 90 people, authorities revealed.
The boat likely went down three days ago, according to the state police chief.
Malaysia’s maritime agency said rescuers found 13 migrants and recovered the body of a woman from the sea on Saturday.
Another six bodies were discovered on Sunday.
The agency said it has expanded the area of the search that will continue on Monday.
Authorities said preliminary investigations showed that the group boarded a large vessel that carried them into waters close to Malaysia.
“As they neared the border, they were instructed to transfer onto three smaller boats, each carrying around 100 people,” an official told Bernama news.
“We have requested the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Marine Police to launch search and rescue operations and to look for the other missing boats,” they added.
The timing and exact location of the incident are not known.
The fate of the other two boats is also unclear, officials said.
Police chief Adzli Abu Shah said that some of those rescued were Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, where they have faced persecution for decades.
Maritime authorities warned in a statement that cross-border syndicates are becoming increasingly active in exploiting migrants using perilous sea routes.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees urged regional governments to step up search and rescue efforts and take action to prevent such tragedies.
So far this year, some 5,200 Rohingya refugees have embarked on dangerous maritime journeys, with nearly 600 reported to be missing or dead, said UNHCR spokesman Diogo Alcantara.
In January, Malaysian authorities turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Muslim Rohingya refugees who were trying to enter the country illegally.
A staff of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency checks on a survivor who was rescued by a fishing boat’s crewCredit: Reuters
Malaysia is a popular destination because of its dominant Malay Muslim population.
The country has accepted Rohingya in the past on humanitarian grounds but has tried to limit their numbers, fearing a mass influx of people arriving on boats.
There are around 117,670 Rohingya refugees registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia, about 59 per cent of the total refugee population in the country.
Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, working in industries including construction and agriculture.
But the crossings, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates, are often hazardous, leading to boats capsizing.
First Admiral Romli Mustafa from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said: “Cross-border syndicates are now increasingly active in exploiting migrants by making them victims of human trafficking using high-risk sea routes.”
Syndicates charge up to $3,500 per person for passage into the country, Malaysian media said.
In one of the worst months, in December 2021, more than 20 migrants drowned in several incidents off the Malaysian coast.
