An Immigration enforcement officer round up the foreigners at one of the workers quarters.
KUCHING: Thirty illegal immigrants were detained during an integrated operation ‘Hari-Hari Operasi’, which ran from Sunday evening to early yesterday.
According to state Immigration Department spokesperson, enforcers first apprehended three Indian nationals – all men – and an Indonesian woman at an eatery at Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce here at 3.20pm.
It is found that the three had committed an offence under Rules 11(7)(a) of Immigration Regulations 1963 for misusing their social visit passes and working without any valid permit.
Later at about 5pm, the Immigration team conducted inspection across the Demak Laut area, where they nabbed an Indonesian man and held him under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for failing to produce a valid travel document when requested by the authority.
The two separate operations were conducted on the temporary workers quarters at Jalan Bako, Kampung Sourabaya and Jalan Daya near the Pending Industrial Estate close to 2am yesterday, where enforcement officers checked on 142 individuals.
Of the total, 20 men and a woman – all Indonesians – were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for failing to produce valid travel documents, while another four men were found to have been overstaying under Section 15(1)(c) of the same Act.
“Overall, 30 illegal immigrants comprising four Indian men, two Indonesian women and 24 Indonesian men are being detained,” the spokesperson said.
State Immigration Department enforcement chief Garry Belayong John Siki, when contacted, said they would continue to conduct these operations regardless of time and division.
“This is because we do not want the department to be belittled and criticised by those who do not understand our duties and responsibilities.
“We conduct the operations, arrest the foreign workers who violate the Immigration Act and Regulations, and don’t compromise with any individual or company that protects or hires illegal immigrants,” he stressed.
All 30 illegal immigrants are being detained at Semuja Immigration Detention Centre pending further investigations.