Illegals paid to be smuggled into Malaysia.
More than 200 illegal Rohingya immigrants arrested in Langkawi last week are believed to have each paid RM2,000 each to a syndicate to smuggle them into Malaysia, said Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin.
He said their family members who were already in Malaysia would have to pay the syndicate additional money to be reunited with them.
He believed the illegal immigrants had planned their trip for a long time as many of them had family here.
“The female immigrants said their intention was to meet their husbands who are already here, while the others said they have families who have been living in this country for seven or eight years. This plan was made long ago involving the detained immigrants, the syndicate, agents and their family members.
“During interrogation, we found that they had each paid RM2,000 to a syndicate in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Upon their arrival, if their family members want them released, they would have to pay another RM13,000 to the agent,” he said.
“We will continue to hunt for the syndicate members and bring them to justice.”
Last Saturday, the Kedah and Perlis Maritime Enforcement Agency detained 202 Rohingya people near a beach resort in Jalan Pantai Kok, Teluk Nibong.
Hamzah said ministry agencies would step up patrols in the country’s waters because some of the detained immigrants had said that several boatloads of Rohingya would soon be making their way to Malaysia.
“We know that this is not the last group, based on intelligence and interrogation. There may be two or three more (groups),” he said.