Drive against
illegal migrants
Malaysia detains 78 Bangladeshis
THE STAR, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
The Malaysian authorities have detained a total of 474 illegal immigrants, including 78 Bangladeshis in a swoop on illegal workers across the country.
A total of 1,871 foreigners were checked during 124 enforcement operations conducted since Wednesday, said Malaysia Immigration Department Director-General Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud.
Of those detained, Indonesians were the highest with 220, followed by Chinese nationals (89), Bangladesh (78), Myanmar (42), Filipinos (22) and others. Action will also be taken against employers who hire illegal immigrants under the Immigration Act 1959/63, he said in a statement.
The department is committed to conducting
large-scale continuous operations nationwide following the conclusion of the Back For Good (B4G) repatriation programme on Dec 31, the statement said.
A total of 190,471 illegal immigrants have registered for the B4G programme. Those who failed to sign up will be rounded up, it said.
The Malaysian Home Ministry has set a target of arresting at least 70,000 illegal immigrants this year, the Immigration DG said.
The department has given illegal immigrants ample time to surrender through the B4G programme, he added.
However, this opportunity was not fully taken up by certain illegals and their employers, he added.
The official urged those with information on illegal immigrants to contact the department as soon as possible.
