An Australian refugees’ rights activist says a tanker smuggling Sri Lankan immigrants would never have made it to Australia or New Zealand.

Malaysian Police say the tanker was carrying 131 Sri Lankans headed for New Zealand and Australia.

Malaysian authorities halted the modified tanker on Tuesday and a group of Indonesians and Malaysians were arrested.

Malaysia's national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the large‑scale and cunning human smuggling syndicate had been operating for a year and had connections in New Zealand, as well as in Sri Lanka, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Source:RadioNZ