Report: Investigations underway in Malaysian People-Smuggling Network

Investigations are underway in a Malaysian people-smuggling network similar to the one that led to the asylum-seekers' ferry sinking disaster last week, reported the daily An Nahar on Wednesday.

It said that the network is headed by Elie A. who owns a fake travel agency in Dekwaneh on the outskirts of Beirut and cooperates with Mohammed T., in the town of Mishmish in the northern region of Akkar, and Ahmed H., who works in the southern city of Sidon.

An Nahar revealed that some 82 Lebanese citizens, including a number of families from Akkar, had traveled with the fake travel agency to Malaysia under the illusion that they will legally head to Australia via airplane.

After paying a fee of up to $10,000 per person, the travelers soon lost contact with the travel agency, leaving some to return to Lebanon and others to remain in Malaysia in a hope that their situation will be resolved.

The head of the agency has disappeared since news of the Indonesia ferry boat disaster broke out last week.

Security services on Tuesday arrested four Lebanese citizens on suspicion of involvement in the case of people smuggling to Australia via Indonesia and Malaysia, state-run National News Agency reported.

Three of them have since been released however.

Twenty-eight Lebanese asylum-seekers died as their boat capsized off Indonesia on Friday while seeking to sail to Australia. Many more are still feared missing.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said there were 68 Lebanese, including children, on board the ill-fated vessel and that 18 survived the ordeal while at least 29 were still missing.

Most of them hail from the impoverished district of Akkar, where thousands of Syrians have also sought refuge from the 30-month conflict that has wracked their country.

"Illegal migration has increased with the influx of Syrian refugees," a Lebanese security source told Agence France Presse on Sunday on condition of anonymity.

"Criminal networks have started to focus on Syrians but also on Lebanese who want to emigrate," he said of the people smugglers.