KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — The Immigration Department, in collaboration with enforcement agencies, including the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, has thwarted 47 syndicates involved in the illegal entry of foreign workers into Malaysia as of October.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said 1,285 syndicate members and illegal immigrants have been arrested as a result of the crackdown.
He said the Immigration Department has also tightened checks at entry points to ensure only eligible individuals are permitted to enter the country.
“A Not To Land (NTL) notice or an entry refusal notice is issued to those who are not eligible, and as of September this year, 25,214 foreign nationals have received NTL notices,” he said during the question-and-answer session in Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) on the government’s firm action against syndicates that brought in foreigners through a ‘counter-setting’ modus operandi, which was also masterminded by the enforcement agency stationed at the country’s air entry point.
Saifuddin Nasution said that among the measures implemented by the Immigration Department to combat these syndicates were increasing the supervision of officers on counter duties, monitoring through closed-circuit television (CCTV) in control rooms and conducting spot checks at immigration counters.
In addition, counter officers are prohibited from carrying communication devices and are subjected to body searches before and after duty.
He said the department has also set up a special team to patrol the area before travellers approach the immigration counters.
“If the team detects individuals lingering for five, six, seven or even eight hours without approaching the counter, it indicates they are waiting for a signal from the syndicate on which counter they should proceed to,” he explained.
He added that through these patrols, 6,694 travellers were denied entry into Malaysia as of September, mostly due to insufficient funds or not having a valid address.
Saifuddin Nasution said the Immigration Department is finalising the procurement process for a passenger screening system and is upgrading its CCTV systems at entry points with enhanced audio and visual features.
— Bernama
