662 migrants, including 150 Bangladeshis, arrested in Malaysia

The Malaysian Immigration Department has arrested 662 foreign migrants for various immigration-related offences in a raid that began on Wednesday night (September 24) in the Pulau Indah industrial area in the Malaysian state of Selangor.
Selangor Immigration Department Director Khairul Aminus Kamarudin said the raid was planned based on intelligence information over the past four months. More than 100 establishments and nine shops were raided in the raid.
The Selangor Immigration Department, Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Air Operations Force, Royal Klang City Council, National Registration Department. A total of 242 officers and personnel participated in the raid.
The director said 1,132 people were searched, of whom 662 were arrested. Of them, 643 were men and 19 were women, aged between 16 and 80.
Among those detained were Indonesians – 437, Bangladesh – 150, Pakistan – 35, Myanmar – 36, Nepal – 24, India – 10.
The detainees were first taken to the Selangor Immigration Office for document verification and later transferred to the Semenyih Immigration Depot.
The director added that the charges against the detainees included – not having a valid identity document, violating visa conditions, overstaying, using a fake or rejected card.
In addition, a poorly managed foreign workers’ dormitory was detected, which was sent to the Manpower Department for further investigation.
Khairul Aminus said that action would be taken against the detainees in accordance with the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963 and the Anti-Smuggling and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
Type of violation:
Section 6(1)(c): Not having a valid passport or travel document.
Section 15(1)(c): Overstaying.
Rule 39(b): Violation of pass conditions.
He also said that the public and employers are reminded that harbouring illegal immigrants is a punishable offence and strict action can be taken for it.
However, some employers have helped by handing over the passports of their workers, which proves that not all have broken the law.
The director said that Malaysia needs foreign workers, but they must work in accordance with the country’s rules.
He warned that such operations will continue not only in Pulau Indah but throughout Selangor.