Malaysian authorities detain 7,043 illegal immigrants in nationwide operations, with Indonesians and Myanmar nationals topping the list of offenders.
PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department has detained 7,043 undocumented migrants for various immigration offences between January 1 and February 19.
Deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said the individuals were from various nationalities, with the highest number of arrests involving nationals from eight countries.
The top countries of origin were Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, India and China.
Overall, the department’s Enforcement Division carried out 1,855 operations during the period, inspecting 30,177 individuals.
“The department remains committed to strengthening enforcement of the country’s immigration laws, through stricter, more comprehensive and focused operations,” Lokman said in a statement.
He stressed that operations would continue to be intensified consistently and in a focused manner without compromise.
The most common offence was being in the country without a valid pass or travel document under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act, involving 4,804 cases.
A further 1,250 cases were recorded for overstaying, and 806 cases for violating pass conditions.
Another 183 cases involved other immigration offences.
