5,065 illegal immigrants detained since July 1

PETALING JAYA: A total of 5,065 illegal immigrants and 108 employers have been detained by the Immigration Department throughout the Ops Mega since July 1.
Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali (pix) said the department had also screened almost 18,000 people throughout the operation period.
He added the illegal immigrants from multiple countries were detained for various immigration offences.
In a statement, Mustafar said from the total number of illegal immigrants detained, Bangladeshis recorded the highest number of detainees with 1,520 people.
This was followed by detainees of Indonesian origin with 1,476 people, Myanmar (429), Vietnam (285), Thailand (206), Philippines (261) and the rest from various other countries.
"The Immigration Department has also taken proactive steps by doing engagement with several embassies such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Nepal.
"The initiative was taken to explain the efforts that had been done, as well as measures that should be taken by employers and workers after the end of the E-Card (Enforcement Card) registration," he said.
Ops Mega is a large scale operation to flush out illegal immigrants after the deadline to apply for the temporary Enforcement Card expired at the end of June.