Malaysia expels two boats ferrying about 300 Myanmar migrants

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia said Saturday it expelled two boats ferrying about 300 undocumented migrants from Myanmar from the country's waters.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the boats were located two nautical miles southwest of the northern resort of Langkawi late Friday evening.

"MMEA provided assistance, including food and clean drinking water, before expelling the boats out to the national maritime border to continue their journey," Director-General Mohd Rosli Abdullah said in a statement.

"We are also working closely with Thai authorities to obtain additional information on the movements of these boats."

On Friday Malaysian police detained almost 200 suspected Rohingya migrants from Myanmar after their boat ran aground in Langkawi.

The Rohingya experience persecution in their predominantly Buddhist homeland of Myanmar, with many fleeing to affluent, Muslim-majority Malaysia or refugee camps in Bangladesh.

They often endure harrowing, months-long sea journeys to arrive in Malaysia by boat or sneak into the country via its porous border with Thailand.

If caught, they are often sent to detention centers that rights groups say are typically overcrowded and filthy.