Pulau Burong tragedy: Capsized boat found, Thai national still missing

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Dec 25: The wreckage of a fishing vessel that went missing in Pulau Burong waters on Dec 17 has been discovered, with one crew member, a Thai national, still unaccounted for.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak director, First Admiral Kamal Ariffin Jusoh, confirmed that the third day of the search and rescue operation (Op Carilamat) located a green-colored vessel wreckage 3.9 nautical miles north of Tanjung Moyan.

The wreckage is believed to belong to the missing vessel, which had six foreign nationals onboard—two Indonesians, three Cambodians, and one Thai.

“For the record, the search radius today has been expanded to cover 484.02 square nautical miles, focusing on the waters of Pulau Burong.

“The operation to locate the last missing victim was halted at 6pm and will resume tomorrow,” he said in a statement.

The incident came to light after a report was filed by a local complainant at 6.43pm on Dec 23, prompting the activation of Op Carilamat.

Five of the six crew members have since been rescued.

On Dec 23, a local fishing vessel rescued three individuals—Khlok Sem, 32 (Cambodian); Andikah, 24 (Indonesian); and Irman, 23 (Indonesian)—who were found in the waters off Tanjung Sipang wearing life jackets.

Another crew member, Thy Ny, 41 (Cambodian), was found by a tugboat 3.87 nautical miles west of Tanjung Po and brought to shore at Sibu jetty.

On Dec 24, Ouen Van, 37 (Cambodian), was found safe near Sungai Serpan, Asajaya, Kota Samarahan.

The sole missing crew member is Chaloem Sonada, 64, a Thai national. Search efforts will continue tomorrow. — DayakDaily

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