KOTA BARU: More than 65,000 foreigners were detained for various immigration offences in over 11,000 enforcement operations nationwide from Jan 1 to Oct 15, said Immigration Department deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli.
He said more than 146,000 foreigners were checked during the 287-day period, while over 45,000 of those detained were repatriated to their respective countries.
The department conducted an average of more than 38 operations a day, checking about 511 foreigners and detaining 228 daily, he said.
"This shows the seriousness of the Immigration Department in continuously enforcing measures to combat immigration law violations in this country," he said at a press conference after an enforcement operation at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Specialist Hospital construction site in Kubang Kerian here today.
Lokman said the most common offences included failing to possess valid documents or permits to stay in Malaysia under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, overstaying under Section 15(1)(c) of the same Act, and abusing passes or permits.
He said visa abuse included entering the country on a social visit pass but working without valid permission.
Nationals of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Myanmar were among those most frequently repatriated following enforcement operations, he added.
The operations covered various sectors, including construction, services and agriculture.
In a related development, the department detained 55 foreigners out of 57 people inspected during a raid at a construction site in Kubang Kerian today.
Lokman said they were detained on suspicion of various immigration offences and brought in for further checks before legal action was taken.
In a separate operation at 8.30am today, the department detained a Myanmar man suspected of acting as a transporter to smuggle 10 of his compatriots out of Malaysia through illegal routes.
All 11 individuals, aged between 20 and 34, were arrested at a hotel in Wakaf Che Yeh here.
Lokman said the 10 Myanmar nationals were believed to have travelled from Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur before transiting in Wakaf Che Yeh to be smuggled out of the country.
"Each individual is believed to have been charged around RM3,500 to be smuggled out of the country. However, as a result of intelligence, their movements were successfully intercepted and all of them were detained for further investigation," he said.
He said investigations were ongoing to establish how long the suspected transporter had been involved in the activity and whether other groups were involved.
Lokman said smuggling foreigners through illegal routes was not a new issue and could involve several groups or agents, but investigations into the case were continuing.
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