Ken Leben
KUCHING: The State Immigration Department is targeting to conduct 1,000 operations across the state this year as part of its efforts to address the issue of illegal immigrants in Sarawak.
Under its ‘Hari-Hari Operasi’ (Everyday Operation) dubbed H2O, the department has conducted 219 operations as of March 21, during which 690 of the 4,148 persons checked were arrested, revealed its director Ken Leben.
“This is how mindful, vigilant and strict we are on curbing illegal immigrants in the state,” he told a press conference at the State Immigration Department office in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar here yesterday.
Though he did not deny that there were still illegal immigrants in the state, he said the number was far lesser than in other states in the country.
“We are not as bad as other states because Sarawak is still under control when it comes to the illegal immigrants as there are not up to 20,000 of them,” he said, dismissing claims reported by certain media that the state was flooded with illegal immigrants.
To support his statement, Ken elaborated that in last year’s H2O operation, a total of 2,190 illegal immigrants were arrested out of the 26,446 persons inspected during the 669 operations carried out.
“The 2,190 illegal immigrants were arrested for various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 or Regulation and Order 1963 such as contravening Section 6(1)(c) Immigration Act 1959/63 where 50 per cent of them entered the state illegally without a valid pass; contravening Section 15(1)(c) which is for overstaying (27 per cent); contravening Regulation and Order of Immigration 11(7)(a) – abuse of visit pass (15 per cent); contravening Regulation and Order of Immigration 39(b) – abuse of work pass (three per cent); and contravening Section 56(1)(l) – alter or forge endorsement (three per cent),” he explained.
He noted that the number of those arrested in 2016 was an increase compared to 1,888 arrests out of 16,868 persons inspected during 494 operations in 2015 and 1,212 arrests from 4,658 persons inspected during 234 operations in 2014.
Of the arrests made since 2014 until this year, he disclosed that around 70 per cent of those arrested were Indonesians and that sectors more prone to employing illegal immigrants were the plantation, construction and manufacturing industries.
Ken also touched on the department’s Amnesty Exercise ‘3+1’ Programme where illegal immigrants who overstayed or were without a valid pass are given specific periods to leave the country without being charged for violating the immigration law.
“Unfortunately, since the programme was introduced in 2014, the response has not been very encouraging. Last year, only around 700 illegal immigrants surrendered themselves to us,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the presence of illegal Suluk in the state, Ken said the State Immigration Department had formed a special taskforce to curb the problem which would be led by the State Security Unit.
“We have also proposed a paperwork to the Immigration in Putrajaya to establish a special taskforce in tackling the presence of illegal immigrants in the state.”
Also present was the department’s deputy director Hamfatullah Syawal Hamdan.