The Malaysian coast guard rescued two boats carrying almost 300 undocumented Myanmar migrants who were suffering from exhaustion due to lack of food and water. The migrants were discovered off the coast of Langkawi and provided with supplies by authorities. The coast guard is cooperating with Thai authorities to gather more information about the boats' movements. This incident follows the detention of 196 undocumented Myanmar migrants, believed to be Rohingya, by Malaysian police on Friday.
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia 's coast guard escorted away from its waters two boats carrying almost 300 undocumented Myanmar migrants found in a state of exhaustion for lack of food and water, a top agency official said. Authorities gave the migrants food supplies and clean drinking water after the boats were discovered on Friday two nautical miles southwest off the coast of the Malaysia n resort island of Langkawi, the agency said.
'We are also closely co-operating with Thai enforcement agencies to obtain additional information on the movement of the boats,' its Director-General Mohd Rosli Abdullah said in a statement on Saturday.The coast guard did not say if the migrants were Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority whose members often flee majority Buddhist Myanmar, where they are seen as foreign interlopers from South Asia, who are denied citizenship and face abuse. On Friday, Malaysian police had detained 196 undocumented Myanmar migrants after their boat landed on a beach at Langkawi. Police said all the migrants, 71 children and 57 women among them, were believed to be ethnic Rohingya. All the detained migrants were taken to be documented and their health checked, the police said in a separate statement on Friday. For years many Rohingya have embarked in rickety wooden boats to try and reach neighboring countries, such as Muslim-majority Malaysia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, as well as Thailand, chiefly during the calmer seas from October to April. Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status, has in recent years turned away boats carrying Rohingya refugees and rounded up thousands in crowded detention facilities as it cracks down on undocumented migrants
Myanmar Migrants Malaysia Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis Illegal Immigration
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Malaysia turns back boats carrying 300 Myanmar migrantsAuthorities give the migrants food supplies and clean drinking water after the boats are discovered on Friday, January 3
Read more »
300 female inmates receive legal, medical aid —DOJLatest Philippine news from GMA News and 24 Oras. News, weather updates and livestreaming on Philippine politics, regions, showbiz, lifestyle, science and tech.
Read more »
Philippines already world number 2 in Toyota Land Cruiser 300 allotmentThe Philippines is already number 2 in the world when it comes to Land Cruiser (LC300) allotment. The country is only behind the middle east when it comes to allotment for the particular model.
Read more »
Remulla on WPS: Over 300 illegal activities by China in 2024Latest Philippine news from GMA News and 24 Oras. News, weather updates and livestreaming on Philippine politics, regions, showbiz, lifestyle, science and tech.
Read more »
Venezuela releases over 300 detained in unrestCARACAS – More than 300 people arrested in protests against the reelection of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have been released from prison, the
Read more »
Mandaue to deploy 300 cops for Misa de Gallo securitySunStar Publishing Inc.
Read more »