Malaysian police collaborate with Interpol and Aseanapol to locate syndicate behind migrant boat tragedy that killed 29 people off Langkawi
ALOR SETAR: The Royal Malaysia Police is working with Interpol and Aseanapol to track down a syndicate believed to be linked to the recent migrant boat tragedy off Langkawi.
Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said initial information suggested the syndicate may have been operating in Malaysia and several neighbouring countries.
“The D3 Division under the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department is collaborating with Interpol and the ASEAN police,” he told a press conference.
“We will track down the syndicate and provide any details obtained… we will monitor the progress.”
He added that survivors claimed they had been assembled at five locations between Baitadung and Teknaf, near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, to board a vessel operated by the syndicate.
Adzli said the syndicate’s modus operandi was to gather as many illegal immigrants as possible and load them onto a vessel at maximum capacity before setting sail.
“The vessel would anchor in a channel between the two countries and would only set sail at full capacity, in this case about 300 people,” he said.
“The journey usually takes around two weeks.”
He said the victims also claimed that payments to the syndicate were only made by their family members upon their arrival in Malaysia.
According to Adzli, police also found handwritten notes from the survivors containing phone numbers believed to be linked to the syndicate’s agents.
He said interrogations of the 14 survivors confirmed that all of them were migrants and not members or agents of the syndicate.
Adzli said the survivors also claimed that five individuals, believed to be syndicate members, were operating the mothership they were aboard.
The victims claimed they were transferred to two smaller boats upon reaching waters near the Malaysia-Thailand border and continued their journey without the syndicate members.
The incident, where a boat carrying more than 70 illegal immigrants capsized off Langkawi, has so far claimed 29 lives with 14 others found safe. – Bernama
