KOTA TINGGI, Dec 16 ― The boat that capsized in waters off Tanjung Balau, near here, yesterday, was supposed to drop off its passengers in Kampung Tengah, near here, before taking another group of Indonesian nationals back to the republic.

However, the boat, which was said to have departed from Batam at about 11pm, was believed to have changed its direction and headed towards the Tanjung Balau Beach, which is located about two to three kilometres from the initial location.

Seventh Royal Artillery Regiment commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Ridzal Radzuan, when disclosing the matter said the boat, which was believed to be operated by a syndicate, decided to change its direction after the skipper noticed the presence of security forces in the area.

He said his team had earlier spotted a suspicious boat near Kampung Tengah and detected a group of illegal immigrants hiding in bush in the village.

"Initial investigation found that they (the syndicate) wanted to drop off passengers at the Tanjung Balau beach, but the boat capsized after being hit by high waves,” he told Bernama when met at the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) post in Tanjung Sepang, here, yesterday.

The Seventh Royal Artillery Regiment, which is responsible to safeguard the 210-kilometre stretch along Johor west coast, was the first to detect the presence of the boat.

"Throughout our operation here, the weather was bad and there were high waves due to the current northeast monsoon.

"In this poor sea condition, they (the syndicate) know that the authorities will carry out enforcement operations along the coastal area...most of the skippers will drop off their passengers in the middle of the sea to save themselves,” said Mohamed Ridzal.

He said the capsized boat was a high-powered boat that had four engines with 200 horsepower each, adding that most of the immigrants were oblivious of the danger when entering the country using these illegal routes.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Ridzal said manpower shortage had been among the challenges faced by his team in safeguarding the area.

However, he said the change in tactics has helped the team to overcome the challenges and continue to carry out operations to ensure the safety of the country’s waters.

In addition, he said cooperation with other enforcement agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency through Op Benteng would continue to be intensified.

The Seventh Royal Artillery Regiment through Op Benteng has detained 144 illegal immigrants from November 19 to yesterday.

In the 4.30am incident, 11 immigrants have died when a boat carrying 50 Indonesians capsized due to high waves and bad weather.

Another 14 other illegal immigrants on the boat were rescued, while 25 more are still missing. ― Bernama