LANGKAWI, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s navy says it will turn away any more boats carrying Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants to its shores unless they are sinking.
Marine northern commander Tan Kok Kwee said Tuesday that waters around Langkawi island where several wooden vessels have landed in the past three days will be patrolled 24 hours a day by a total of eight ships.
Tan said, “We won’t let any foreign boats come in.” If the boats are seaworthy, he said the navy would “give them provisions and send them away.”
He said they would carry out a rescue only if the boat was sinking.
Since the weekend, more than 1,000 migrants in boats have landed on Langkawi, and another 600 have come ashore on Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh.
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