26 Rohingya feared drowned found alive off Malaysian coast

Rickety boats packed with refugees frequently run into trouble while trying to reach Malaysia and need rescuing by fishermen or Bangladeshi border guards (Photo: AFP)

Malaysian authorities said July 27 that 26 Rohingya migrants, who had been feared drowned after jumping off a fishing boat, were found alive off the Malaysian coast on late July 26.

All the migrants, who arrived on a small island off the northwest resort island of Langkawi, have been detained and will undergo coronavirus tests before being handed to immigration authorities.

A search was launched at the weekend for the missing after a migrant travelling on the same vessel swam to shore on the resort island of Langkawi and raised the alarm, said coastguard chief Mohamad Zubil Mat Som.

According to him, people-smugglers had transferred the Rohingya from a large boat to smaller fishing vessels before ferrying them ashore.

The authorities have identified the human smugglers, he said.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said that Malaysia can no longer take more Rohingya migrants as the economy struggles to recover following a strict lockdown./.

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