Arakan News Agency
Following information received, police in Langkawi are on alert for some 200 Rohingyas allegedly arriving in boats to land at an island off the Kedah coast.
Langkawi district police chief Supt Che Ghazali Che Awang said they were prepared for the possibility of them trying to make landfall.
He however said they were still trying to vet through the information which they obtained through their networks.
“We are ready for the possibility, any information on illegal immigrants, we will beef up our security and our patrols,” he told Media when contacted after being asked if any boats bearing refugees were spotted.
In a brief statement meanwhile, a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) spokesman confirmed the agency has received such information.
“As such, we are ready for all eventualities,” the spokesman said.
A spotlight shone on the plight of the Rohingyas in 2015 after 1,158 Bangladeshis and Rohingyas landed illegally in Langkawi in May that year.
They were fleeing sectarian violence in Myanmar where the government does not recognise them as citizens.
Migrant advocacy groups had warned of increasing attempts of boats laden with refugees trying to make land fall at Malaysia and Indonesia.
