Bodies of Five Drowned Indonesians Repatriated from Malaysia

The Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday said that it has helped repatriate the bodies of five migrant workers who died in a boat mishap in Malaysia and it is working to return five other unidentified bodies.

Residents of Malaysia’s Teluk C bay in Bandar Penawas, Kota Tinggi, found 10 bodies floating in the sea on Dec. 18.

The victims were believed to be Indonesian migrant workers who had taken an engine-equipped long canoe to cross over to Sumatra.

P.L.E. Priatna, the information and media director of the ministry, said that five bodies which had already been identified were repatriated to Lombok and East Java on Dec. 20.

“In cooperation with local officials and the Indonesian people, the Johor Baru consulate general has been able to invite the families to identify the five victims,” Priatna said.

Five other bodies have yet to be identified and are still at the morgue of the Kota Tinggi general hospital, he said.

The Teluk C bay in Bandar Penawar is sparsely populated and is mostly composed of coastal swamps and tall grass. It is often used as a departure and arrival site for operations to transport illegal migrant workers to and from Indonesia.

Wednesday 2 January 2013

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