Malaysian authorities have intensified search and rescue (SAR) operations in Langkawi waters after a boat carrying 70 Myanmar refugees sank in the Andaman Sea near Ko Tarutao Island in southern Thailand, as the death toll rose to 18 on Monday.
Twelve bodies – eight women, two men, a boy and a girl – were recovered in Malaysian waters off Langkawi, while Thailand’s maritime enforcement agency recovered six more, comprising women and children.
With dozens still missing, the tragedy risks becoming another deadly voyage involving Rohingya refugees fleeing violent persecution following the Myanmar military crackdown that began in 2017.
Survivors said they boarded a wooden vessel from the Buthidaung area in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, along with about 300 passengers, attempting to reach Malaysia roughly two weeks ago.
On Nov 6, passengers were transferred at sea into two separate boats – a smaller one carrying around 70 people and a larger vessel with about 230. Both then split and headed in different directions. The fate of the larger vessel remains unknown.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the search area was expanded on Monday from 170 to 256 square nautical miles, aided by its maritime surveillance aircraft.
“We expect to find more victims today based on drift patterns from Tarutao Island towards Malaysian waters. Thai authorities are also conducting SAR operations and have discovered six bodies, though no survivors have been reported,” said MMEA Kedah and Perlis director First Admiral (Maritime) Romli Mustafa during a joint press conference with Langkawi police.
He said the Royal Malaysia Police will deploy its AW139 helicopter tomorrow to support assets already mobilised by the MMEA, Marine Police, Royal Malaysian Navy, Department of Fisheries, and Fire and Rescue Department.
Romli added that one of the recovered bodies was sent to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, Kedah, for a post-mortem, with initial forensic findings suggesting the victim had been in the water for more than two days.
He said sea-current modelling indicated the search area would continue to expand daily, as some victims may have drifted beyond current boundaries.
Malaysian SAR units are focusing operations south of Tarutao Island, while Thai authorities concentrate on the northern sector. Tarutao Island lies about 10km north of Langkawi.
“We have very good cooperation with the Thai agency, with strong communication and information exchange. We hope to find more survivors,” Romli said.
Langkawi police chief Assistant Commissioner Khairul Azhar Nuruddin said 13 adults – comprising Rohingya refugees and two Bangladeshi nationals – have been rescued in Langkawi waters since Saturday.
The survivors include nine Rohingya men, two Rohingya women, and two Bangladeshi men.
Khairul Azhar said the smaller boat capsized just over an hour after the passengers were transferred from the larger vessel. “The weather was overcast, and sea conditions were rough,” he said.
He added that at 9.30am on Saturday, the Air Hangat police station received a call from staff at Teluk Ewa Jetty reporting that the master of a Philippine vessel en route to collect a cement shipment had rescued two men and a woman floating near Teluk Cincin, Kuala Teriang.
SAR operations were immediately launched with assistance from the MMEA and other agencies.
“According to the survivors, each passenger paid 400,000 taka (around RM13,600) to agents in Myanmar. Most came from villages and refugee camps,” Khairul Azhar said.
All survivors are being held at the Langkawi district police headquarters for further investigation under the Immigration Act.
Since the outbreak of violence in Myanmar, about 1.3 million Rohingya have sought refuge in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh.
Over the past decade, many Rohingya refugees have risked their lives on unsafe wooden boats run by human trafficking syndicates in search of safety and better prospects in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Although Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and lacks a formal legal framework for refugees, it hosts more than 100,000 Rohingya – most living in urban areas without access to formal employment or essential services, leaving them in a precarious situation.
Langkawi has long been a frequent destination for Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants arriving by sea, with several major landings recorded between 2015 and 2025.
In May 2015, more than 1,000 people – mainly Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants – landed on Langkawi’s shores, with sporadic arrivals continuing between 2018 and 2020.
In January this year, Malaysian authorities detained 196 Rohingya after their boat ran aground in Langkawi, while two other vessels carrying nearly 300 people were intercepted and turned back to sea after receiving humanitarian aid. The incident occurred just weeks before Southeast Asian foreign ministers gather in Langkawi for a ministerial retreat marking Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship for 2025 in January.
Myanmar has been in political and humanitarian turmoil since the 2021 military coup that overthrew the elected civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
This article was updated at 10.11pm.
Main image: Some of the 13 migrants rescued after a boat carrying 70 migrants capsized in the Andaman Sea near Ko Tarutao Island in southern Thailand. Image – Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
