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Ahmadul Kobir, Malaysia: Malaysia’s Immigration Department has arrested 109 foreign nationals, including Bangladeshis, in two enforcement operations in Ipoh, Perak state, targeting an entertainment centre, four massage parlours and a wholesale market.
The arrests were made during raids conducted from Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday. The detainees comprised 34 women and 75 men.
Deputy Director-General of Immigration (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said 66 officers and enforcement personnel from the Perak Immigration Department, the department’s Special Operations and Intelligence Division in Putrajaya, and the police took part in the operations.
The first raid, codenamed Op Gegar, began at 9pm at an entertainment centre and four massage parlours. Officers checked 70 foreign nationals and arrested 34 women.
A separate operation at the Ipoh Wholesale Market began at 1.30am, during which 77 foreign nationals were screened and 75 men were arrested.
According to Lokman Effendi, those detained at the wholesale market were nationals of Myanmar, Bangladesh, Laos and Indonesia. The arrests at the entertainment centre and massage parlours involved citizens of Thailand and Vietnam.
The detainees are suspected of violating Malaysia’s Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963. The alleged offences include failing to possess valid travel documents, overstaying authorised periods of stay and misusing permits or passes.
Lokman Effendi said some of the migrants had attempted to flee when the raids began, but enforcement officers managed to apprehend those at the targeted premises.
Authorities also issued five notices to employers, requiring them to appear before the Immigration Department’s enforcement division to assist with investigations.
All 109 detainees were taken to the Perak Immigration Department office for further action.
Meanwhile, Lokman Effendi said the Immigration Department had conducted more than 11,000 enforcement operations nationwide between January 1 and October 25 this year, screening nearly 150,000 foreign nationals.
More than 66,000 foreign nationals were detained during the period, including over 41,000 arrested directly through the department’s enforcement operations.
The remaining more than 24,000 were detained or handed over by other enforcement agencies, apprehended at the country’s entry points or taken into custody through other operations.
He added that more than 45,000 foreign nationals had been repatriated to their respective countries after completion of the necessary legal procedures. The remaining detainees were still undergoing legal processes involving the Immigration Department and other relevant authorities.
The latest arrests highlight Malaysia’s continued enforcement efforts against immigration offences, including overstaying, the absence of valid travel documents and the misuse of immigration permits.
