Boat Sinks off Johor, 11 Indonesian Workers Killed

KOMPAS/ DANU KUSWORO

Illustration. The flow of illegal migrant workers returning home from Stulang Laut Port, Johor, Malaysia, two days before the end of the amnesty period, Thursday (9/11/2004), continued to flow.

BATAM, KOMPAS — Sad news has again arrived concerning Indonesian migrant workers who were trying to enter Malaysia illegally. A total of 11 migrant workers were killed when a boat sank off Malaysia's southern state of Johor on Wednesday (15/12/2021).

The bodies of the migrant workers who were killed in the incident had been taken to a hospital in Johor, Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono told Kompas when he was contacted from Jakarta.

"The death toll is 11 people, consisting of seven men and four women," he said.

According to information obtained from the survivors, Hermono continued, the boat had set sail from Tanjung Uban, Riau Islands. Apart from the 11 passengers killed in the incident, 12 men and two women had been rescued. Malaysian authorities were still searching for other passengers who were on the boat.

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The Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s citizen protection director, Judha Nugraha, said in Jakarta that the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru had received preliminary information from Malaysian authorities about the boat that sank. The boat capsized on Wednesday at around 5 a.m. local time in an area 0.3 nautical miles (0.55 kilometers) southeast of Tanjung Balau, Kota Tinggi, Johor. The sinking was believed to have been caused by bad weather.

Andita Putri Purnama, an official in charge of social and culture affairs at the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru, said that the Indonesian Consul General in Johor Bahru had immediately visited the scene as well as the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru as regards the identification of victims and treatment of the survivors. According to the information from relevant parties, the 11 victims had not been identified. There was also no confirmation about the actual number of Indonesian citizens who were onboard the boat when it sank.

KOMPAS/BASARNAS PEKANBARU

The Joint SAR Team, Friday (24/1/2020) during an operation to search for victims of a wooden ship that sank in the Malacca Strait, Bengkalis Regency, Riau. The wooden boat is known to be carrying 18 illegal migrant workers from Bengkalis to Malaysia.

Illegal entry

Malaysian daily The Star, quoting a spokesman for the Johor Fire and Rescue Department, reported that the boat was carrying a total of 60 people. The Malaysian Navy assisted in the search and rescue operation, recovering the boat and checking it to ensure no victims were trapped in it. Malaysian Coast Guard chief Adm. Mohamad Zubil Mat Som told AFP that the victims’ bodies were discovered by a Malaysian patrol. The survivors were detained by the local authorities. The boat was believed to be carrying Indonesian migrant workers who were attempting to enter Malaysia illegally.

"We deeply regret this fatal tragedy," said Zubil.

Darman M. Sagala, who heads the technical services unit’s institutional and correctional section at the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency in Tanjung Pinang, said it was believed that the boat had departed from an illegal port on Bintan Island.

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Humanitarian activist R.D. Chrisanctus Paschalis Saturnus Esong said in Batam that repeated incidents had occurred in the Malacca Strait involving boats carrying Indonesian citizens who believed to be migrant workers.

"I urge the authorities to investigate this case seriously. The human trafficking syndicate behind the incident must be unveiled," Paschalis said.

According to Kompas records, undocumented migrant workers often used Batam and Bintan in the Riau Islands to cross into Malaysia. On 20 Sept. 2020, six people from Bintan Island were killed when a boat carrying 15 people sank in the waters of Bandar Penawar, Malaysia.

BASARNAS

The search for victims of the sinking of a TKI transport ship in Nongsa Waters, Batam, Riau Islands, Tuesday (7/5/2019).

The worst incident occurred on 2 Nov. 2016, when a boat from Johor Bahru carrying 93 illegal migrant workers and five children under 5 years sank in Batam waters. A total of 54 people were killed and six people were reported missing.

Meanwhile in Tangerang, Banten, local police arrested married couple AR and A for illegally transporting migrant workers to the Middle East. The couple was arrested in Sindang Jaya district, Tangerang regency. Tangerang Police chief commissioner Wahyu Sri Bintoro said that the police received information that prospective migrant workers were staying at a residence in the Sindang Jaya housing complex, which turned out to be the couple’s house. At least six prospective migrant workers from Lampung were staying at the house. It was believed that A recruited potential migrant workers via social media, while AR handled their passports, Covid-19 vaccination, and departure.

The worst incident occurred on 2 Nov. 2016, when a boat from Johor Bahru carrying 93 illegal migrant workers and five children under 5 years sank in Batam waters.

According to Wahyu, AR and A charged each “recruit” between Rp 20 million (US$1,425) and Rp 30 million to place them as domestic workers in the Middle East. The money was partly used to process their passport, visas, and Covid-19 vaccination, as well as to purchase their plane tickets.

“They [prospective workers] consisted of three men and three women. They were offered illegal work in several Middle Eastern countries, particularly Turkey and Qatar, at a salary of Rp 16 million per month," he said.

Anis Hidayah, who heads the Center for Migrant Research and Studies at Migrant CARE, said that law enforcement still lacked the capacity to handle the illegal transportation of migrant workers abroad, so there was no deterrent effect on those involved in the illicit practice. (BEN/DAN)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.