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12 confirmed dead in Johor Bahru capsizing
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A man approaches a capsized boat that previously carried 40 undocumented Indonesian migrant workers to Malaysia. Twelve workers died after their boat capsized in Johor Bahru waters in Malaysia on Jan. 23. (Tanjung Pinang Naval Base (Lantamal IV)/-)
T
welve Indonesian undocumented migrant workers have died after their boat transporting them to Malaysia capsized in Johor Bahru waters on Monday.
Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) secretary Hermono said the victims were found not far from the capsized boat, which was carrying 40 undocumented workers to work in Malaysia. Two of them were found safe, while another 13 were still missing and the remaining 13 are thought to be hiding in the woods around Tanjung Leman waters, Johor Bahru.
The boat departed from Tanjung Bemban in Batam, Riau Islands, early on Monday.
The identification process was still ongoing, Hermono said on Tuesday. “The two victims have been identified as residents of Ende, East Nusa Tenggara. The Foreign Ministry will repatriate the bodies to Indonesia and the BNP2TKI will then transport them [to Ende],” he told The Jakarta Post.
He admitted the incident demonstrated the recurring problem of the recruitment of migrant workers. “The prevention efforts should be improved starting from the places of origin [of the workers]. People should be made clear about the consequences of using illegal recruitment schemes.”
Riau Islands Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Saptono Erlangga said the police were hunting the boat owner and related persons.
