KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department of Malaysia detained 123 illegal immigrants in several hot spots flooded with foreigners, through an integrated enforcement operation yesterday.
Its director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the illegals who were detained in the operation, which started at 3pm in conjunction with the current festive season, were aged between 25 and 45 years old.
“A total 536 people of various nationalities were checked during the operation. Those detained were from Bangladesh (68), Indonesia (36), Myanmar (seven), Nepal (nine), Pakistan (one), Yemen (one) and India (one),” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said among the offences committed were, not having identification documents, misusing permits, overstaying and having unauthorised cards.
He said most foreigners were using the public holidays to meet up with their compatriots in the national capital, however, they were taking it easy by not carrying valid documents such as their passports and i-cards.
“This attitude does not reflect on their awareness and responsibility as foreigners and they also have no respect for the laws of this country,“ he said.
Khairul Dzaimee, who said the operation focused on open areas without entering shopping centres to avoid inconveniencing local and foreign tourists, added that the detainees were sent to the Immigration Detention Depot for further investigation and action.
He said enforcement were carried out on a daily basis to detect, arrest, prosecute and deport foreign citizens who violated the country’s laws such as the Immigration Act 1959/63, Passport Act 1966 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.
He said the department had conducted 1,353 enforcement operations from Jan 1 to Jan 31, while carrying out checks on 16,651 people.
“From the total number of checks conducted, 5,091 illegal immigrants were arrested while 83 employers had also been detained,“ he said. — Bernama
