Maritime Malaysia Detains 33 Indonesian Nationals Off Port Dickson for Illegal Entry

PORT DICKSON, Sept 12 – Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) personnel detained 33 Indonesian nationals after intercepting an unregistered speedboat attempting to enter Malaysian waters through an unauthorized sea route off Port Dickson on Friday night.

Melaka and Negeri Sembilan Maritime Director Maritime Captain Salehuddin Zakaria stated that the detained group, aged between 13 and 58, comprised 21 men and 12 women, including the vessel’s skipper. The intercept occurred at 9:30 pm approximately 0.7 nautical miles southwest of Kuala Lukut Beach during routine patrols conducted under Op Benteng and Op Tiris.

Detailing the chase, Salehuddin noted that maritime personnel spotted a suspicious, unregistered speedboat and issued orders for it to pull over. “The boat was ordered to stop for inspection, but the skipper sped away in an attempt to evade the inspection. Maritime personnel gave chase before successfully intercepting and detaining the boat,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Subsequent inspections revealed that none of the passengers possessed valid travel documents to enter or remain in Malaysian territory. Salehuddin highlighted that utilizing speedboats along secluded, hard-to-detect sea routes represents a recurring modus operandi designed to circumvent law enforcement inspection.

All 33 foreign nationals, along with the skipper and seized speedboat, were escorted to the Melaka and Negeri Sembilan Maritime Headquarters jetty for further processing. The case is being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM).

–NMT