'My heart was pounding when Myanmar reconnaissance ship approached Nautical Aliya'- Volunteer

It was 11am on Tuesday and the control deck of Nautical Aliya was busier than usual.

The first officer was pacing back and forth, monitoring the radar and map, his hand clutching the walkie-talkie. From his expression, it was clear that something was amiss.

He was anxious and worried.

A man was also visible, he was standing on the deck. Mohamad Asrol Md Jailani, one of the volunteer from the Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) Wilayah Persekutuan was restless. His body language indicated that he was distressed.

“My heart beat so fast after we were told that a Myanmar Navy reconnaissance ship was approaching Nautical Aliya. I was restless as I wasn’t prepared for a situation involving international naval army.

“If we were in Malaysia, things are normally calm,” said Mohamad Astrol, when met by Astro AWANI broadcast journalist, Hilal Azmi who is onboard the Food Flotilla for Myanmar.

Captain Mohamad Firdaus Faisal Mohamad was also anxious. The Automatic Identification System (AIS) had detected an unusual signal.

“Based on this information, the vessel we detected belongs to the government or by the naval.

“If you’re here, I advice everyone return to your rooms or sit at the mass,” said Mohamad Firdaus, who has 18 years sailing experience under his belt.

The mission chief secretariat, Zulhanis Zainol was the busiest individual onboard the Nautical Aliya.

LIVE UPDATE: Food Flotilla for Myanmar

“At that time, only 80 per cent of the items we are carrying have been recorded.

“We need to complete it as soon as possible before the Myanmar army does its random check.

“It is important for us to ensure that everything is smooth and no questions asked,” he said.

Zulhanis added, he was grateful that preliminary information indicated that the Myanmar navy force was going to conduct an investigation but it changed its plan and only accompanied Nautical Aliya.

The situation became calm and Nautical Aliya continued sailing to bring a glimmer of hope to the Rohingya refugees in Myanmar.

It was reported that Nautical Aliya is being escorted by the Myanmar Navy reconnaissance ship to Yangon, Myanmar.

The 'Food Flotilla for Myanmar' is organised by the Putera 1Malaysia Club and Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (MAPIM) in collaboration with the Turkiye Diyanet Vakfi (TDV) Foundation of Turkey.

The flotilla was flagged off by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday and is expected to arrive in Yangon on Feb 7 or 8.

Some 230 volunteers from 13 countries, among them medical teams, teaching staff, local and international media practitioners and representatives of local and foreign NGOs, are in the mission..