Boat Skipper Navigates 12km in Darkness to Smuggle Illegal Immigrants

PASIR PUTEH: Smuggling boat skippers are willing to navigate at high speed in total darkness for more than 12 kilometres (km) along Sungai Kelantan to bring in undocumented immigrants (PATI) without being detected by the authorities.

Kelantan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Maritim Malaysia) Director, Captain Maritim Kamal Mohamad said, based on observations, the skippers are highly skilled in the local terrain and the intricacies of the river, enabling them to evade capture by the authorities.

According to him, the PATI are believed to have been brought in via sea routes from Thailand before entering Sungai Kelantan, using the state as a transit location.

Kamal said the success in detecting the entry of PATI was the result of continuous monitoring and intelligence conducted by his team to curb smuggling activities in the state’s waters.

In a related development, he said at around 11.47 p.m. last Wednesday, a boat was detected speeding into the mouth of Sungai Kelantan before being pursued by enforcement personnel.

“The boat was chased all the way to Pasir Pekan Hilir, Tumpat, but managed to escape because it was navigated in total darkness,” he said.

According to him, a subsequent search at around 12.20 a.m. found eight Myanmar nationals hiding behind bushes near the location of the incident.

He said all PATI, aged between 18 and 51, comprising five men and three women, failed to produce valid travel documents.

“Preliminary investigations found that they were on their way to Kuala Lumpur to work in the manufacturing sector.

“Each of them is believed to have paid RM6,000 to an agent and had been travelling for four days before being detained,” he said.

According to him, all the PATI were taken to the Kelantan Maritim Malaysia Headquarters in Tok Bali for further action.

Sinar Harian