MalayMail-June 24
The Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the state’s coasts have become hotspots for people-smuggling syndicates bringing in undocumented migrants from Indonesia to be domestic helpers here.According to The Star, MMEA director First Maritime Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria smuggling routes used for this purpose have been detected on both the east and west coasts of Johor. He said Pontian and Tanjung Piai were the main landing points on the west coast while these were Tanjung Penyusop to Tanjung Balau in the east, which were used to both smuggle people into the country as well as out, he said.
Nurul Hizam said the syndicates would typically interview the migrants online before arranging to smuggle them. “Syndicate fees could range from RM500 to RM3,000, depending on the boat type and the level of difficulty to bring them in or help them exit,” he was quoted as saying. He added that on January 18, the Johor MMEA rescued six undocumented migrants who were being smuggled in through Pontian when the boat they were in sank after being hit by strong waves.
Separately, Indonesia’s ambassador to Malaysia Hermono warned his countrymen against entering Malaysia unofficially to seek employment, saying this would make them vulnerable to exploitation. He advised that they use the permitted One Channel System (OCS) as outlines under the Malaysia-Indonesia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/06/24/mmea-finds-smuggling-routes-in-johor-used-to-bring-in-indonesians-as-maids/13984
