Malaysia stops illegal sea entry of 25 Myanmar migrants, including teens

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian coast guard said Friday they foiled an attempt by 25 undocumented Myanmar migrants to enter the country illegally.

Maritime authorities deployed a patrol boat after receiving information about a fiberglass boat speeding toward a small town in northern Penang state early Friday, said Penang's maritime chief Muhammad Suffi Mohamad Ramli.

“The patrol boat gave chase, but the vessel escaped after dropping off all 25 individuals” along the coastline, he said in a statement. The migrants, aged between 12 and 42, are believed to have intended to continue their journey inland using a lorry suspected to be waiting nearby, he said.

They have no identification documents and have all been detained for further investigation, he added.

Majority Muslim Malaysia is a common destination for migrants from Myanmar, particularly Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority who have fled violence and discrimination, often undertaking dangerous sea journeys aided by smuggling syndicates. Authorities have stepped up maritime enforcement along the northern coastline in response to recurring arrivals.

The U.N. refugee and migration agencies earlier this week said at least 250 people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals, were either feared dead or missing after a boat that left Bangladesh capsized in the Andaman Sea on Apr. 9 while on the way to Malaysia. Only nine people have been rescued so far.

The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, separately said Friday that nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record for maritime movements in south and Southeast Asia.

More than 6,500 Rohingya attempted perilous sea crossings that year, with one in seven reported missing or dead, the UNHCR said in a statement from Geneva. Over half of those attempting these crossings have been women and children in recent years, it said.

The trend continued in 2026, with more than 2,800 Rohingya undertaking dangerous sea journeys between January and 13 April, the agency said. Over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers remain displaced across the region, including 1.2 million in Bangladesh, it added.