CAMERON HIGHLANDS: The Immigration Department has arrested 468 foreigners for various immigration offences following several raids around the highlands.
The raids, under Op Gempur, involved 547 immigration officers and were carried out from 11am to 2pm on Thursday (Nov 20) in four zones involving business areas, construction sites and vegetable farms.
It was reported that most of the foreigners were busy packing vegetables and were unaware of the presence of the authorities.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the raids were planned a month ago in response to community complaints.
"We found that this district is attractive to foreigners looking for work. In addition, they have become involved in agricultural activities in the surrounding areas," he said.
The influx of foreigners in the highlands, he added, has caused concern among the local community.
Zakaria said the hilly terrain of the area and its distance from the city, coupled with local business owners who preferred to employ them, made the resort area a hotspot for foreigners.
A total of 1,886 foreigners were checked, and 468 detained, for various immigration offences, including expired passes and not possessing valid travel documents.
According to Zakaria, some presented temporary work visit passes that were suspected to be fake.
"The foreigners detained involved 175 Myanmar nationals, 174 from Bangladesh, 67 from Indonesia, 20 from Nepal, 16 from Pakistan, 11 from India and one each from the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China and Cambodia," he said.
The group comprised 388 men, 76 women and four children, aged between 20 and 54, who will be sent to detention depots in Kelantan, Perak and Selangor.
According to arrest statistics, a total of 83,994 foreigners have been detained nationwide since the beginning of the year until Nov 18, in the department's efforts to combat illegal immigrants. – Bernama
