KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department is zeroing on the involvement of some foreign nationals found abusing social visit passes to enter the country as tourists but instead working at business premises such as restaurants and factories.
Its director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the department had detected cases where foreigners entered Malaysia using social visit passes but were later found carrying out employment activities, which is against immigration regulations.
"According to statistics from Jan 1 to March 9 this year, a total of 9,497 foreign nationals were arrested through 2,618 operations carried out nationwide.
"Of the total, 1,158 individuals were detained for offences under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for breaching the conditions of their passes.
"Most of them were found to have misused the facilities provided under their passes, especially Social Visit Pass, by engaging in activities inconsistent with the conditions attached to the passes issued," he said in a statement on Thursday (March 12).
The five nationalities with the highest number of arrests for breaching pass conditions were Bangladesh with 532 individuals, followed by Thailand (248), Indonesia (111), China (86) and Pakistan (51), he added.
Zakaria said that of the 1,158 arrested, 482 individuals were detained for abusing their social visit passes.
"This included 235 Thai nationals, 83 Bangladeshis, 62 Chinese nationals, 62 Indonesians, 13 Pakistanis and 27 individuals from other countries.
"Initial investigations found that some of them were actively involved in managing and operating business premises without valid authorisation," he said.
He said such acts constitute an offence under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 as they violate the conditions of the passes issued.
Zakaria stressed that enforcement actions would continue to be intensified and no compromise would be given to any foreign national found abusing the country’s immigration facilities.
"Those found violating immigration laws could face actions including detention, prosecution and deportation.
"We urge those with information on foreigners conducting illegal business activities to channel the information to the department to assist enforcement efforts," he said.
