Twenty-five Indonesians plead guilty to trying to sneak out of M'sia without papers

KOTA TINGGI: Twenty-five Indonesians, including two boat captains, were charged at the magistrate's court here for attempts to sneak out of the country illegally.

The two captains, Bujang, 63, and Suardi, 49, pleaded guilty when the charges were read in front of Magistrate Mazana Sinin.

They were both charged under Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, which carries a penalty of a maximum RM250,000 in fines a jail term of not more than five years or both upon sentencing.

Mazana then fixed August 14 for the next mention of the case.

The other 23 illegal Indonesian immigrants also pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.

They were charged under Section 5 (2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing legal documentation to enter and leave the country through gazetted routes and could be sentenced under Section 57 of the same Act, which carries a penalty of a maximum RM10,000 fine, five years jail or both.

Mazana set a fine of RM8,000 for each of the accused, failing which they would be sentenced to three months jail.

Three of the accused paid the fines while the rest were sent to jail for three months.

Both cases was prosecuted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy prosecution officer Syazana Abd Lajis while all of the accused were not represented by a lawyer.


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