Major crackdown on illegal immigrants begins

SEPANG (Jan 21, 2014): The second phase of Ops Bersepadu 6P went into full force yesterday with thousands of foreigners checked for travel documents nationwide.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said 107 operations were carried out with 6,149 foreigners checked of whom 1,565 were illegals.
He said among those held were 695 Indonesians, 255 Bangladeshis, 157 Myanmar nationals and the rest from Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Philippines, China, Nigeria and Thailand.
He said those held were sent to detention centres and will not be allowed entry into Malaysia under any circumstances as they had abused their work permits, student and visit visas by overstaying.
Ahmad Zahid said their particulars will be recorded including the biometric data before deportation.
“Biometric data is obtained to ensure they do not return to Malaysia under another identity. The process will take about a week and we hope to deport them soon after. It will be cost-free for us as the deportation will be borne by the respective countries of those detained,” he said.
He said 2,015 personnel from the Immigration Department, police, Rela, Civil Defence Department, National Registration Department and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission were involved in the operation on the first day of its launch yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid said employers who can prove that their workers were wrongfully held as a result of not producing valid travel documents should come forward and submit the relevant papers.
“There may be cases of employers who held on to the work permits and passports of their foreign workers and these foreigners may have been held when they could not produce the papers. In such cases, the employers should come up with the documents and hand it over to us.
“This operation will go on indefinitely and we hope to nab as many illegals as we can. Often in the first week, these illegals will go into hiding and we may not see many held. We are also aware that a huge number had fled the country prior to the operation,” he said.
He also warned that under the Immigration Act and Anti-Human Trafficking Act, it was an offence to employ and harbour illegal workers.
Ops Bersepadu 6P is targeted at rounding up an estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants believed to be in the country.