79 foreigners detained in anti-immigration operation in Malaysia

LANGKAWI: The Immigration Department last night rounded up 79 foreigners and seven locals here. In an attempt to sabotage the anti-immigration operation, the tyres of a vehicle used by Kedah Immigration assistant director Nar Azaman Ibrahim was punctured. Nar Azaman, who led the operation, said the operation was conducted since last Sunday following weeks of surveillance, according to Bernama news agency.

He said, "The tyres of the car which I use in the operation were punctured by some quarters tonight to hamper our efforts."

The tyres were punctured when the Immigration team was conducting a raid at a massage parlour where six Thai women were detained for working without a valid permit.

The other immigrants detained in various locations since Sunday included those from Algeria, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines.

The locals were detained for harbouring the immigrants.

According to the police, a large number of illegal immigrants enter the country by land disguised as tourists. They are also disguised as ordinary folks while dealing with the Immigration Department.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has given Sabah the mandate to come up with a solution to address the illegal immigrant issue in the state. In a new measure, Malaysia's Human Resource Ministry kicked off the annual ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labor last week by highlighting a new recruitment system for the nation's approximately four million foreign workers.

November 3, 2015