Malaysia says it rescued 70 Indonesians at sea

Malaysia's coast guard says it has rescued 70 illegal Indonesian migrants from a rickety boat that probably would have sunk at sea.

Malaysia's coast guard says it has rescued 70 illegal Indonesian migrants from a rickety boat that probably would have sunk at sea.

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Coast guard official Che Hassan Jusoh says a patrol boat spotted the Indonesians trying to return home from Malaysia in an overcrowded boat on Monday.

He said Wednesday that the boat was carrying at least six young children and was unlikely to make it to its destination. The Indonesians are being held at an immigration detention center.

Many Indonesians who attempt to go home after staying illegally in Malaysia leave secretly to avoid being arrested at border checkpoints for immigration offenses.

Since April, at least 15 people have drowned in Malaysian waters after their boats sank enroute to neighboring Indonesia.