Authorities arrested 16 people involved in an ‘international network’ of traffickers, which had been operating since the middle of last year</s>Malaysian police have intercepted a tanker with 131 Sri Lankans believed bound for Australia and New Zealand, destroying an alleged human smuggling ring that has been operating for over a year.

Authorities halted the modified tanker on Tuesday off the coast of southern Johor state, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said. He said the immigrants included 98 men, 24 women, four boys and five girls.

Police also raided a fishing boat used to transport the migrants to the vessel and detained three Indonesians and four Malaysians on board, he said. Another five Malaysians were nabbed for suspected involvement in the smuggling syndicate.

“This syndicate has been operating since mid-2017 and has international connections across Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia,” Fuzi said.

A total of 127 Sri Lankans will be charged for entering Malaysia illegally while nine Malaysians, four Indonesians and four Sri Lankans will be investigated for human smuggling, he added.</s>KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia has arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged people trafficking syndicate after intercepting a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankan migrants believed to be bound for Australia and New Zealand, authorities said Saturday (May 5).

Maritime authorities on Tuesday halted a modified tanker named "Etra" in Malaysian territorial waters off southern Johor state, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement on Saturday.

Nearly 100 Sri Lankan men, 24 women and nine children were aboard the ship, which was making its way to international waters when it was stopped.

Mohamad said authorities arrested 16 people involved in an "international network" of people smugglers, including three Indonesians and four Malaysians aboard a fishing vessel used to transport the migrants from the Johor coast to the tanker.

Another four Malaysians were arrested in the nearby state capital of Johor Bahru, while a fifth was taken into custody in Penang.

Four Sri Lankan men were arrested aboard the tanker for suspected involvement in the trafficking network, which Mohamad said had been operating since 2017.

Mohamad said the remaining 127 passengers aboard the vessel had been detained for violating immigration laws, according to news reports which did not say where they were being held or if they had been allowed to disembark.</s>KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia police intercepted a modified tanker carrying 131 Sri Lankans on Tuesday (May 1) morning, busting a human-smuggling ring that has been transporting illegal immigrants to Australia and New Zealand.

The syndicate was using the maritime passage in the waters of Tanjung Gemuk in Kota Tinggi, Johor to transfer the immigrants.



In a media release on Saturday, authorities said the tanker bearing the name Etra had been carrying 98 men, 24 women, four boys and five girls - all Sri Lanka citizens.

A fishing boat used to transport the migrants to the vessel was also raided and the seven on board - three Indonesians and four Malaysians - were arrested.

Authorities also nabbed five Malaysians involved in smuggling the migrants.

"With these arrests, the Royal Malaysia Police has successfully foiled a large and cunning human smuggling syndicate," said police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun.

"This syndicate has been operating since mid-2017 and has international connections across Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia," he added.</s>Malaysian police have intercepted a tanker with 131 Sri Lankans believed bound for Australia and New Zealand, smashing a large people smuggling ring that has been operating for a year, authorities say.

Authorities halted the modified tanker on Tuesday (local time) off the coast of southern Johor state, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement.

He said the group included 98 men, 24 women, four boys and five girls.

Police also raided a fishing boat used to transport the Sri Lankans to the vessel and detained three Indonesians and four Malaysians on board, he said.

Another five Malaysians were nabbed for suspected involvement in the smuggling syndicate.

A total of 127 Sri Lankans will be charged for entering Malaysia illegally while nine Malaysians, four Indonesians and four Sri Lankans will be investigated for people smuggling, he added.</s>Malaysia has arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged people smuggling syndicate after intercepting a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankan migrants believed to be bound for Australia and New Zealand, authorities said.

Maritime authorities on Tuesday halted a modified tanker named “Etra” in Malaysian territorial waters off southern Johor state, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said.

Nearly 100 Sri Lankan men, 24 women and nine children were aboard the ship, which was making its way to international waters when it was stopped.

The police chief said in a statement on Saturday that authorities arrested 16 people involved in an “international network” of people smugglers, including three Indonesians and four Malaysians aboard a fishing vessel used to transport the migrants from the Johor coast to the tanker.

Another four Malaysians were arrested in the nearby state capital of Johor Baharu, while a fifth was taken into custody in northern Penang state.

Four Sri Lankan men were arrested aboard the tanker for suspected involvement in the trafficking network.

Mohamad Fuzi said the remaining 127 passengers aboard the vessel had been detained for violating immigration laws, according to news reports which did not say where they were being held or if they had been allowed to disembark.

He said the international syndicate, which covered Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia, had been operating since the middle of last year.

It is relatively rare for people-smuggling boats seeking to take people to Australia to be stopped off Malaysia. Boats typically bypass Malaysia and head to neighbouring Indonesia, the traditional staging post on the route to Australia.

Over the years, many such vessels have been stopped or have sunk off Indonesia.

This flow has largely stopped in recent years however after Australia introduced tough policies in 2013 of turning back boats when it is safe to do so, an approach that angered Jakarta.

In 2015 some boats carrying Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, arrived in Malaysia after Thai authorities clamped down on regional trafficking networks and preventing them from coming ashore in Thailand.

A Rohingya boat arrival in northwest Malaysia last month was the first for some time, and came as fears mounted more might be set to take to the high seas after a military crackdown in Myanmar sent many members of the minority fleeing their homeland.

However experts have played down the potential for a mass exodus via the high seas, as stormy weather over upcoming months makes boat trips far more risky.</s>Kualar Lumpur : More than 130 Sri Lankans believed to be heading for Australia and New Zealand have been intercepted by Malaysian authorities, smashing a large human smuggling ring that has been operating for over a year.

National police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun says authorities halted the tanker on Tuesday off the coast of southern Johor state.

He says the modified tanker carrying the Sri Lankan immigrants included 98 men, 24 women, four boys and five girls.

He says police also raided a fishing boat used to transport the migrants to the vessel and detained three Indonesians and four Malaysians on board. Another five Malaysians were later nabbed for suspected involvement in the smuggling syndicate.</s>Malaysian police have intercepted a tanker with 131 Sri Lankans believed bound for Australia and New Zealand, smashing a large human smuggling ring that has been operating for a year.

Authorities halted the modified tanker on Tuesday off the coast of southern Johor state, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement Saturday.

He said the immigrants included 98 men, 24 women, four boys and five girls.

Police also raided a fishing boat used to transport the migrants to the vessel and detained three Indonesians and four Malaysians on board, he said. Another five Malaysians were nabbed for suspected involvement in the smuggling syndicate.

“This syndicate has been operating since mid-2017 and has international connections across Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia,” Fuzi said.

A total of 127 Sri Lankans will be charged for entering Malaysia illegally while nine Malaysians, four Indonesians and four Sri Lankans will be investigated for human smuggling, he added.

The syndicate was transporting the immigrants using a maritime passage in the waters of Tanjung Gemuk in Kota Tinggi, Johor, Channel News Asia reported.</s>KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia has arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged people trafficking syndicate after intercepting a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankan migrants believed to be bound for Australia and New Zealand, authorities have said. Maritime authorities on Tuesday halted a modified tanker named "Etra" in Malaysian territorial waters off southern Johor state, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said.

Nearly 100 Sri Lankan men, 24 women and nine children were aboard the ship, which was making its way to international waters when it was stopped.

The police chief said in a statement Saturday that authorities arrested 16 people involved in an "international network" of people smugglers, including three Indonesians and four Malaysians aboard a fishing vessel used to transport the migrants from the Johor coast to the tanker.

Another four Malaysians were arrested in the nearby state capital of Johor Bahru, while a fifth was taken into custody in northern Penang state. Four Sri Lankan men were arrested aboard the tanker for suspected involvement in the trafficking network.

Mohamad Fuzi said the remaining 127 passengers aboard the vessel had been detained for violating immigration laws, according to news reports which did not say where they were being held or if they had been allowed to disembark.

He said the international syndicate, which covered Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia, had been operating since the middle of last year. It is relatively rare for people-smuggling boats seeking to take people to Australia to be stopped off Malaysia. Boats typically bypass Malaysia and head to neighbouring Indonesia, the traditional staging post on the route to Australia. Over the years, many such vessels have been stopped or have sunk off Indonesia.</s>An Australian government minister says people smugglers were now marketing New Zealand as a back door into Australia, after Malaysian authorities intercepted a boat carrying Sri Lankan asylum seekers.

Malaysian police said in a statement more than 130 Sri Lankans believed to be heading for Australia and New Zealand were intercepted when Malaysian authorities halted the modified tanker on Tuesday off the coast of southern Johor state.

Australia's Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton told reporters on Monday that Australian authorities had been working with the Malaysians to prevent the ship reaching Australian or New Zealand.

Australia pays the poor Pacific island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea to keep asylum seekers from Asia, the Middle East and Africa in immigration camps indefinitely.
Malaysian authorities announce sixteen arrests connected to an international human trafficking ring. The arrests follow the seizure of modified tanker ship MV Etra in Malaysian waters on Tuesday with 127 Sri Lankan migrants on board being smuggled to New Zealand and Australia. The arrests include seven people captured aboard a fishing vessel used to transfer migrants onto MV Etra.