KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — On Saturday, Malaysian officials announced that they had intercepted two vessels carrying nearly 300 individuals believed to be Rohingya refugees who were attempting to enter the country unlawfully.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency revealed that they had received intelligence regarding two additional boats trying to reach Malaysia after a group of 196 Rohingya individuals landed on a beach on the northeastern resort island of Langkawi early Friday. These individuals were subsequently detained by authorities.
Later that same Friday, officials reported sighting the other two vessels near Langkawi. The individuals aboard these boats, again thought to be Rohingya, were described as fatigued and lacking proper food and water supplies.
In a statement, the head of the Maritime Enforcement Agency, Mohamad Rosli Abdullah, mentioned that assistance was provided to the struggling boats, which included food and drinking water before they were escorted out of Malaysian waters to continue their journey. However, no information was released regarding their final destination, nor were there any details about their point of origin.
It is worth noting that many Rohingya who find themselves in refugee camps in Bangladesh are often enticed by traffickers to venture out in search of a more promising life. Over 1 million Rohingya refugees reside in Bangladesh after fleeing ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar. Malaysia, with its predominant Malay Muslim demographic, has become a favored destination for many of these refugees.
The Rohingya have been fleeing a severe counterinsurgency campaign that emerged in 2017, where Myanmar’s security forces were accused of heinous acts, including mass sexual violence and killings.
Although Malaysia has previously shown compassion by accepting Rohingya refugees for humanitarian reasons, the government has sought to control the influx of individuals arriving by sea due to concerns over a potential surge of people. As of the end of November, approximately 111,410 Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers had registered with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Malaysia, comprising around 58% of the total refugee population in the country.
