DBKL reminds property owners they can be fined if premises rented out to illegals

PROPERTY owners around the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market have been warned not to rent their premises to illegal immigrants or risk being fined.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Corporate Planning Department director Khairul Azmir said City Hall had issued warning notices to the majority of property owners within a 5km radius of the wholesale market since May 14.

"The move is to inform property owners about the offence of renting their property to illegal immigrants on behalf of the Immigration Department.

"DBKL is the vehicle to alert these owners as City Hall has the databases.

"It is also part of a pilot project to clean up illegal immigrants around the wholesale market area.

"If successful, a similar approach will be conducted in other parts of Kuala Lumpur," he said.

According to the notices, local property owners who rent their premises to illegal immigrants violated Section 55E and Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1956/63 (Act 155).

Section 55E states that occupiers are not to permit illegal immigrants to enter or remain at the premises, while Section 56(1)(d) states that any person who harbours any person whom he knows or has reasonable grounds for believing to have acted in contravention of the, except section 55E, shall be guilty of an offence.

Khairul Azmir added that the Immigration Department would take action against those who contravened the law.