POLICE are investigating whether the boat tragedy that claimed 13 lives in the Malaysia–Thailand border waters may be linked to an active human trafficking syndicate operating between Myanmar and Malaysia.
Langkawi Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Khairul Azhar Nurudin, said early investigations had identified several phone numbers believed to belong to syndicate agents following interviews with survivors.
“We have identified several numbers associated with agents in Myanmar and Malaysia.
Investigation is now focused on confirming their roles in this activity,” he said at a press conference at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) jetty in Bukit Malut on Monday.
Also present was Kedah and Perlis State Maritime Director, First Admiral Romli Mustafa.
Khairul said police were also probing two Bangladeshi men who survived, as they may not have been victims but crew working with the syndicate.
“The investigation is examining the roles of these two individuals to determine whether they were genuinely victims or directly involved in transporting the migrants,” he explained.
Preliminary findings indicate the boat carried around 70 people, fewer than the initial estimate of 90. The passengers were part of a group of roughly 300 migrants who initially boarded a ‘mother ship’ before being divided onto three boats—two small vessels and one larger boat—near the national maritime border.
Admiral Romli noted that no debris from the sunken boat had been recovered and dismissed the possibility that the victims had drifted as far as Indonesian waters.
“The distance to Indonesian waters is approximately 150 nautical miles. Given current conditions, a person adrift would typically move only one nautical mile per day. Therefore, the likelihood is very low,” he said. - November 10, 2025
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