KUALA LUMPUR: A syndicate operating as a ‘middleman’ for the labour recalibration programme has been crippled after two men including an Indian national were detained in Penang on Sunday.
Malaysian Immigration Department director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the two men were detained in a special operation following a month-long co-operation between the Immigration’s Intelligence, Special Operations and Analysis Divisions in Penang and Putrajaya.
He said it was aimed at detecting and stamping out syndicates arranging for foreign nationals to register under the programme without complying with the stipulated procedures.
“As a result of the operation, a 31-year-old local man and a 35-year-old Indian national were detained for arranging participation in the Recalibration Programme in contravention of the procedure set during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“Their modus operandi is to gather foreign nationals with immigration offences and promise to take them to certain Immigration offices, as they did not get the appointment slots through the Online Appointment System (STO),’’ he said in a statement today.
Khairul Dzaimee said the foreign nationals were charged between RM1,000 to RM1,500 each by the syndicate to deal with their registrations in the recalibration programme without having to make an appointment via STO as set by the Immigration Department.
“Both the masterminds of the syndicate have been detained under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966 and can be jailed a maximum five years, or fined, or both, if found guilty.
Khairul Dzamiee said the Immigration Department had never appointed middlemen or any party to manage the programme, and the public was urged not to deal with any individuals claiming to be agents for the matter.
The labour recalibration programme aims to regularise illegal immigrants in the country as foreign workers who could be employed by eligible employers to tackle the issue of manpower shortage faced by industries following the freeze on recruiting new foreign workers. — Bernama
