ALOR SETAR: Kedah police have arrested 66 locals acting as agents in migrant smuggling between 2023 and Monday (Jan 26), with 42 foreigners nabbed in the same period.
State police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said the trend is concerning due to the large number of locals involved in the activity.
He said that their modus operandi involved using rat lanes, either through the borders of Padang Besar in Perlis or Bukit Kayu Hitam and Durian Burung in Kedah, as well as the Thailand-Malaysia international waters to Langkawi by using small boats.
"Migrant smuggling is a serious matter because it threatens national security and disturbs public order," he told a media conference at the Kedah police headquarters here on Wednesday (Jan 28).
He added that during the same period, a total of 577 migrants of various nationalities were arrested, with 481 of them being Myanmar nationals.
Adzli said these migrants chose to come to Malaysia for several reasons, including the country's stable social and economic conditions and its proximity to Myanmar.
"This cannot go on, as it will have a lot of negative impact on the country. I am also told that our detention depots are all full. The country has to bear the cost of food, medicine and temporary accommodation for these migrants," he said.
On their latest success, Adzli said police nabbed 73 Myanmar nationals and locals suspected of being involved in migrant smuggling activities through three different Op Pintas Khas initiatives in the Kubang Pasu and Baling districts this month.
"Eleven Myanmar nationals and three locals, who are believed to have acted as agents, and 59 migrants from Myanmar and the United States, aged between one year and 61, were detained under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007 and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63," he said. - Bernama
