Ruwaida Md Zain
SHAH ALAM: The skipper of a boat and 20 undocumented migrants he was transporting jumped into the sea off Kuala Langat to avoid arrest by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
The incident happened at 1.50am yesterday, when the skipper crashed the boat into an MMEA patrol craft that was chasing it some 0.2 nautical miles off Pantai Tanjung Rhu.
Selangor MMEA director, Maritime Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the patrol craft was deployed after the boat carrying the migrants was detected by the Area Control Centre.
"The team spotted a fibreglass boat without a registration number speeding," he said, adding this set off a 35-minute pursuit.
"In a bid to escape, the skipper rammed the side of the MMEA patrol craft, damaging it," Abdul Muhaimin said in a statement.
He said the skipper and a number of migrants jumped into the sea and swam towards a nearby mangrove forest.
Abdul Muhaimin said their checks of the boat found two foreign women aged 28 and 45. Both did not possess any documents.
"Upon questioning, we found out that 20 other undocumented migrants were on the boat that was travelling to a neighbouring country."
The two women were detained under the Immigration Act while the boat was brought to the Selangor MMEA jetty.