JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has identified eastern Johor waters as the main route for illegal immigrants to enter the country.

       MMEA director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Mohd Zubil Mat Som said the agency would strengthen its presence at the country’s maritime border, especially in hot spot areas in eastern Johor waters.

       He said through the Malaysian Maritime Sea Surveillance System (Swasla) radar, MMEA had detected more than 1,000 suspicious activities at sea since it started Ops Benteng in May last year.

       “From May 2020 until now, there have been many attempts made by human traffickers to infiltrate our border almost every night, but through our Swasla radar, we have managed to detect 1,110 suspicious activities throughout our maritime areas and forced 689 to turn back.

       “Human trafficking syndicates are selfish as they only think about financial gain without a second thought of the lives they are putting at risk by ferrying them through open seas,” he said here yesterday.

       Mohd Zubil said about 34% or 380 cases of those were recorded in the Johor waters alone during the same period, with 127 cases ordered to turn around.

       He said that even the enforcement agencies were taking extra safety precautions when conducting surveillance during the monsoon season.

       “Travelling through the current weather conditions is suicidal as the wind speeds can go up to 50kph while the waves can go up to as high as 5m,” he said, adding that the Tanjung Balau tragedy could have been avoided if immigrants stopped using human trafficking syndicates and entered the country through legal routes instead.

       Mohd Zubil said MMEA would be working with its Indonesian counterparts to share any information on human trafficking and other illegal activities.

       “We want to eradicate this problem,” he said, adding that those involved would be charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

       Meanwhile, Johor MMEA deputy director (operations) Maritime Capt Simon Templer Lo Tusa said a body believed to be that of one of the victims of the capsized boat was found about 2.7 nautical miles east of Tanjung Punggal at 8.35am yesterday.

       “One of the 14 survivors was pronounced dead at about 12.45pm while being treated at Hospital Kota Tinggi,” he said, noting that this brought the total number of deaths to 21 in the boat tragedy in Tanjung Balau.

       “The number of those missing now stands at 16 people. There are 13 survivors,” he said.

       Templer said the third day of the search and rescue (SAR) operation also involved two helicopters from the armed forces, and the Fire and Rescue Department.