Malaysia rescues 34 Rohingya refugees who were abandoned 500 m from the beach by human traffickers. (Photo: New Straits Times)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Villagers at Malaysia’s Sungai Belati beach found weak, hungry, and disheveled Myanmarrefugees – including children from as young as seven – arriving at shore onMarch 1, the New Straits Times reported.
The 34 Rohingya refugees, including nine children, were believed to have beentaken by sea to Malaysia and abandoned 500 m from the beach by humantraffickers who left them to trawl up the muddy coast.
Local villagers alongside staff from Perlis Power Plant Sdn Bhd and theMalaysian Civil Defence Force tried to help them to the shore safely.
“They were given bread andpacket drinks. They do not speak Bahasa Malaysia. They looked so hungry, webelieve they had not eaten anything for two days during the journey,” avillager said.
OnFebruary 28, Harian Metro disclosed that immigrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar,and the Rohingya Muslim ethnic community were smuggled into the country andentered via routes believed to be located near Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, andWang Kelian in Perlis.
Theywere believed to have been charged between 5,000 MYR and 16,000 MYR (1,200-3,900USD) by the syndicate and were kept inside an abandoned factory in Napoh, Jitraas a transit point before being taken to Penang to seek employmentopportunities. –VNA
VNA
