Boat sinks in Malaysia killing at least 11 Indonesians | Migration Issues

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Search for 25 missing people after 14 survivors and a boat found off the coast of Tanjung Balau.
At least 11 Indonesian refugees have sunk off the coast of southern peninsular Malaysia after their boat exploded.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the country’s military say 25 people are missing after 14 survivors and the boat was found off the coast in Tanjung Balau.
The MMEA said the boat capsized around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday (23:30 GMT Tuesday) off the state coast of Johor, which crosses the Singapore border and lives across the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s largest maritime trade routes, from Indonesia .
“The boat is thought to have originated in Indonesia and was wrecked after being hit by strong waves,” Johor Maritime deputy chief of staff Simon Simon Templer Lo Ak Tusa told reporters.
All on board were Indonesian, the MMEA said.
The accident is the latest in a series of catastrophic floods between Indonesia and Malaysia in recent years, often affecting boats loaded with workers in Malaysian factories and farms.
According to Anis Hidayah of the non-governmental organization Migrant CARE, Jakarta, between 100,000 and 200,000 Indonesians travel to Malaysia each year to work illegally, most of them listed as smugglers and he exploits them when they arrive.
“They go to Malaysia by boat and there are a lot of accidents because they leave at night and arrive in the morning,” he told Reuters news agency, adding that boats often stop before landing to be seen and require passengers to swim. on the surface.
People are searching for the Tanjung Balau beach when a boat carrying refugees overturned [Royal Malaysian Army/Handout via Reuters]
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