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Ahmadul Kobir, Malaysia: Malaysia has deported 157 undocumented migrants, including Bangladeshi nationals, as part of its ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration. All those deported have been blacklisted to prevent them from re-entering the country.
The migrants were sent back to their respective countries through Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on October 21, after being detained at the Belantik Immigration Detention Depot in Kedah. The Malaysian authorities did not disclose how many Bangladeshi nationals were among those repatriated.
According to the Kedah state branch of the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM), the group comprised 128 men, 26 women and three male children. They were citizens of nine countries: China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Sudan, Australia, Nigeria, Vietnam and Myanmar.
The deportees had been held at the Belantik Immigration Detention Depot in Sik, Kedah, and were repatriated after completing their sentences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.
The operation was conducted by 21 immigration officers from JIM Kedah, led by the officer in charge of the Belantik Immigration Detention Depot.
The immigration department said the cost of air travel was covered by the detainees themselves, their family members and the respective embassies. The Malaysian government did not directly bear the airfare expenses for the repatriation operation.
As part of the enforcement measures, all 157 migrants have been blacklisted in the immigration department’s system, barring their return to Malaysia in accordance with the country’s laws and regulations.
JIM Kedah said it would continue enforcement operations, monitoring, detention, prosecution and repatriation of undocumented migrants to protect Malaysia’s security, public order and sovereignty.