Malaysian immigration department has arrested 235 people, including 113 Bangladeshis, in an ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country.
They were arrested in five districts in Johor province from Friday to Sunday. Johor Immigration Director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said in a statement that his department will not compromise with those who recruit and protect illegal immigrants.
He said the first operation saw the arrest of 130 foreigners and two reflexology center employers in five districts on Friday midnight.
In the first simultaneous operation, a total of 90 illegal immigrants were arrested in Johor Bahru. In addition, nine illegal immigrants and two employers were arrested in Batu Pahat, 12 illegal immigrants from Mersing and Muar and seven in Segamat.
The first operation targeted 18 factory premises and housing estates as well as 17 reflexology centers in Batu Pahat, Mersing, Muar and Segamat.
The arrested illegal immigrants include 36 Bangladeshis, 15 Pakistanis, 34 Indonesians, as well as female and male immigrants from India, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Director Mohammad Rusdi also said that 105 illegal immigrants were arrested in a raid on a workers' housing complex in Batu Pahat from 1am to 3am on Sunday. He said the raid was conducted based on public complaints that foreigners were living in shared house settlements without valid passes or permits. He also said that 77 of them are Bangladeshi immigrants.
He said that those arrested in the raid committed offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963. They have been kept at the Pekan Nenas Immigration Depot for further action.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
