Drive Against Illegal Immigrants
515 Bangladeshis held in Malaysia
1,035 foreigners detained on first day of crackdown
STAFF REPORTER
At least 515 Bangladeshis were detained in Malaysia on Saturday for not having enforcement card (e-card) or permits for temporary residence, reports local media quoting the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
The department rounded up at least 1,035 foreigners from different places of the country on the first day of the crackdown on illegal immigrants as the deadline for e-card registration expired on Friday midnight.
Officers inspected 155 premises around the country and screened 3,393 people over the course of the day, said Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, according to a report by Malay publication The Star.
Among the detainees, 515 were Bangladeshi nationals, he said, adding another 135 were from Indonesia, 102 from Myanmar, 50 from the Philippines, five from Thailand and two from Vietnam.
Besides, 16 local employers were also detained for facilitating foreigners to stay and work illegally.
The e-card, which was launched on February 15 this year, functions as a temporary confirmation of employment for illegal workers. It is issued for free, and the e-cards issued this time
will remain valid until February 15 next year. The Immigration Department of Malaysia accepted applications for e-cards for the past four months until the expiry of the deadline.
Bangladeshis accounted for the highest number of e-card applications at 71,903 followed by Indonesian nationals at 26,764 while Myanmar nationals made 11,825 applications of temporary residency.
Only 126,350 e-cards were issued until June 30, Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali told media.
Sayedul Islam, Labour Counsellor of the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, the fresh e-card holders would get permission to stay until Feb 15 next year.
This means that those without a valid passport or permission to work may stay and work in Malaysia until Feb 14.
It is possible for foreign nationals with e-cards to obtain passports and travel documents from their embassies for a new work permit within that time.
Malaysian authorities have warned that those who stay past the deadline will be deported.
According to The Sun (Malaysia), over 600,000 illegal immigrants live in the country and only 23 per cent of them have received e-cards.
It is said that detainees have given a number of explanations for their inability to obtain the e-cards necessary to extend their stay. Some said they were not aware of the deadline while others claimed that their employers had assured them of obtaining an extension of the deadline.
Sources said the immigration department had conducted a comprehensive campaign to educate employers and foreign workers on the issue, including reaching out to the respective embassies.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to
Malaysia AKM Atiqur Rahman told The Independent yesterday that Bangladesh would request the Malaysian government for extending the registration timeframe.
We would take initiatives in this regard. Besides, we would provide necessary legal support to the Bangladeshis, he added.
However, the Malaysian government said the time for e-card registration would not be increased.
The Immigration Department of Malaysia on January 10 this year announced that they have detained a total of 146,876 illegal immigrants in a series of nationwide crackdown conducted over the past two years, and the number of registered foreign workers in the country was 1.8 million at that time.
