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HUNDREDS of refugees aboard a ship adrift without food or water off the coast of Malaysia pleaded to be rescued yesterday.
The refugees, said to be members of Myanmar’s Rohingya minority, used mobile phones to contact director Chris Lewa of NGO the Arakan Project, which monitors the Rohingya situation.
Ms Lewa said that the 350 migrants, 50 of them women, had been abandoned by people traffickers on the vessel without fuel, food or water for three days, somewhere off the resort island of Langkawi.
“They asked to be urgently rescued,” she said.
“They are not sure exactly where they are, possibly near Langkawi. They say they can see shore.”
But Malaysia’s maritime commander for the northern region Tan Kok Kwee said there have been no sightings so far of any other boats carrying refugees.
The Muslim Rohingya people have been victims of xenophobic attacks by Myanmar Buddhists in recent years.
But Mr Tan warned that while refugees would be rescued from sinking boats, seaworthy craft would provided with food and water and turned away. “We won’t let any foreign boats come in,” he said.
