Malaysian authorities said on Saturday that they have turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Muslim Rohingya refugees who were found to have entered the country illegally.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said that it had information that two more boats were attempting to enter the country after a boatload of 196 Rohingya landed early on Friday on a beach on the northeastern resort island of Langkawi. They were all detained by authorities.
The agency said authorities had detected the other two boats later on Friday off Langkawi. It said the people on the two boats, also believed to be Rohingya, were reported to be exhausted and lacked sufficient food and water supplies.
Maritime Enforcement Agency chief Mohamad Rosli Abdullah said in a statement that help has been provided to the two boats, including food supplies and drinking water, before they were escorted out of the country to continue their journey. It did not say where the boats were heading, and no further details were given.
There were also no details about where they came from, but many Rohingya living in refugee camps in Bangladesh have been lured by traffickers to leave to seek a better life elsewhere.
Bangladesh hosts more than 1 million Rohingya refugees who fled ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar. Malaysia is a popular destination because of its dominant Malay Muslim population.