- A 46-year-old Malaysian lorry driver was arrested for illegal sea entry from Indonesia
- He hid his second marriage from his first wife, who held his passport
- He claimed to take the illegal route due to his pregnant second wife's critical illness
A 46-year-old Malaysian lorry driver from Perak was arrested by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) while he was attempting to return from Indonesia via an illegal sea route. According to South China Morning Post, the man resorted to this 'backdoor' channel to keep his secret second marriage hidden from his first wife. Also, he could not travel by air, as his passport was held by the first wife.
The man admitted to Selangor maritime authorities that his first wife didn't know about his second marriage .The father of four said he met and married his second wife a year ago in Rawang, Selangor. He ended up making a long, drawn-out journey back, with multiple stops, after spending 4-5 days in Indonesia.
He admitted to entering and leaving the country illegally to avoid suspicion, claiming it was only because his five-month-pregnant second wife was critically ill in Indonesia. He said this was his first time taking such a route.
"My second wife was pregnant and in critical condition, which is why I decided to take an illegal route to Medan. I didn't want my first wife to know about my second marriage. This is the first time I used the back route because she held my passport," he said.
He was intercepted at approximately 12:30 AM aboard an unregistered fiberglass boat near Sabak Bernam, Selangor. He was among 26 undocumented Indonesian migrants, including 17 men, nine women, and a five-year-old child and one other Malaysian man on the vessel, which was operated by a Myanmar national.
Another boat was intercepted around 2 am, about 2 nautical miles southwest of the same area. This vessel had 3 Indonesian crew and 24 undocumented migrants --19 men, 5 women, and a 3-month-old baby girl with her father.
Selangor MMEA director Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the two boat intercepts stopped attempts to smuggle migrants in and out of the country via Selangor waters. He added that the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency will not compromise on any cross-border crimes.
The smuggling syndicate was charging RM1,500 (Rs 35,225) to RM2,500 (58,697) per person, depending on the route and drop-off point. All suspects and seized boats were taken to the Marine Police Force jetty in Pulau Indah for further action.
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