Dept widens net for illegals

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali addressing the press during the investiture ceremony.Pix by: ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star/ 22 July 2017

GEORGE TOWN: About 4,500 illegal workers have been arrested by the Immigration Department during the nationwide Ops Mega.

Its director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali (pic) said 89 employers had also been detained as of Friday with some cases having already gone to court to be charged over the past few weeks.

Mustafar, who led two operations in Penang on Friday night as part of Ops Mega after the deadline for the E-Card (enforcement card) registration expired on June 30, said they rounded up a total of 135 illegal workers.

“We checked 356 workers and caught those who overstayed or were without documents as well as illegal workers who were carrying out immoral activities.

“During the operation in Bukit Mertajam, we caught 40 female illegal workers at a karaoke and entertainment outlet for carrying out immoral activities.

“They were scantily dressed and we do not know what goes on in the back.

“They were mainly from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia,” he said after receiving the Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri (DGPN) award on the first day of the investiture ceremony to mark Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas’ 79th birthday at Dewan Sri Pinang here yesterday.

Mustafar said there were always such operations being carried out, especially in major cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Ipoh and Penang.

“There needs to be a break in the chain. If the Immigration Department takes action on the illegal workers but the premises continue to operate, the problem will recur.

“This is when the respective agencies and local councils need to come in and take action against such premises,” he said.

Mustafar said that during the operation held in Bayan Lepas, 95 illegal workers were rounded up from construction sites.

“They were mostly Bangladeshis and Indonesians.

“We understand that there is a need for employees, but it has to be done the right way,” he said.

The E-Card programme was launched on Feb 15 as a temporary confirmation of employment for illegal workers.

The E-card replaces valid travel documents from the workers’ respective countries and only involves five sectors that need foreign workers.