JAKARTA - A ship carrying around 57 illegal Indonesian migrant workers reportedly sank in the waters off Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia, on Saturday, December 25. This was conveyed by the Indonesian Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur Hermono.
Four crew members (ABK) and about 35 passengers were rescued, while others are thought to have died.
"The bodies were found by 10 people and the rest are unknown. The ship departed from Batu Bara Regency, North Sumatra," Hermono told the media crew, Antara, Tuesday, December 28.
Based on information from Malaysian fishermen, said Hermono, on December 25 at around 10:00 local time, three Malaysian fishing boats found the sinking ship and saw about 20 people who needed help.
The victims were then handed over to an Indonesian ship that was sailing in the waters to be brought to Indonesia. According to the fishermen, there are victims whose condition is already dead.
Based on this information, on 27 December the Malaysian Maritime Power Agency (APMM) Selangor contacted the Police attache and the PPT Team of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to immediately follow up and coordinate.
"After the incident, the Selangor APMM also carried out patrols around the scene and found a floating body suspected of being one of the victims of a sinking Indonesian citizen. Currently, the victim's body has been handed over to the Sekinchan Police Office of IPD Kuala Selangor for a post-mortem et repertum," said Hermono.
Until now, said the Ambassador, APMM continues to search for other victims and will inform the Indonesian Embassy if any other victims are found.
"The police attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur continues to coordinate with the National Police Headquarters, the North Sumatra Police and the Tanjung Balai Lanal Unit to reveal the chronology and perpetrators of PMI smuggling to Malaysia," he said.
Hermono requested that people who feel they have lost their families or find out that their families are leaving using illegal channels to contact the nearest police force.
He also appealed to the public not to use illegal routes because of the risk of having an accident. During December, there have been two accidents on ships carrying illegal PMIs that have claimed a large number of lives.
Hermono added that the Malaysian government is currently carrying out operations on illegal foreign workers with severe penalties for those caught.
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