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Ahmadul Kobir, Malaysia: Malaysia’s Immigration Department has detained 630 foreign nationals, including 199 Bangladeshis, in a major enforcement raid at a construction site in Padang Meha, Kulim, in the northern state of Kedah.
Chinese nationals accounted for the largest group, with 396 people detained, followed by Bangladeshis.
Codenamed Ops Mega, the operation was conducted at around 11am on Monday, October 12. The Kedah State Immigration Department disclosed the details in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the raid followed intelligence gathering and surveillance by the department’s Intelligence and Special Operations Division. A total of 159 immigration officers took part, representing enforcement and intelligence units at the department’s headquarters, its special tactical team and the state immigration departments of Kedah, Perlis, Perak, Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan.
Officers inspected 697 foreign nationals and Malaysian citizens during the operation. Of them, 630 foreign nationals aged between 18 and 50 were detained, comprising 622 men and eight women.
The detainees included 396 Chinese nationals, comprising 391 men and five women, and 199 Bangladeshis, including 198 men and one woman.
The remaining detainees were 10 Pakistani men, seven Myanmar nationals, five Indian men, four Ghanaian men, three Nigerian men, two Kenyan men, two Indonesian women, one New Zealand man and one Senegalese man.
The department said the detainees were suspected of violating Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of Malaysia’s Immigration Act 1959/63 and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963. Six witness summonses were also issued to assist the investigation.
The operation faced several challenges as some detainees allegedly tried to evade arrest by hiding in hazardous areas and climbing onto the roof of the unfinished building.
Tensions also arose when a group of detainees allegedly provoked immigration officers, prompting the enforcement team to act swiftly to bring the situation under control, the department said.
The operation covered a construction site spanning nearly 500,000 square metres, creating significant logistical and safety challenges.
Heavy rain made surfaces slippery, while waterlogged areas and muddy access routes hampered the movement of enforcement personnel. Unfinished structures, lift shafts, exposed steel reinforcement bars, scattered construction materials, heavy machinery and work at height added to the risks during the operation.
The Immigration Department urged employers, main contractors and subcontractors to ensure that all foreign workers they employ have valid travel documents and the appropriate passes or work permits.
It also reminded employers to comply with immigration requirements and the conditions imposed by the authorities.
The department said enforcement operations would continue to ensure compliance with Malaysia’s immigration laws and take action against those found violating the regulations.
