KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department detained 630 foreigners during an enforcement operation at a construction site in Padang Meha, Kulim.
Kedah Immigration director Mohd Ridzzuan Mohd Zain said the 11am operation, dubbed Ops Mega, was conducted yesterday and involved 159 officers from the department's headquarters and offices in Kedah, Perlis, Perak, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan.
In a social media post today, he said officers inspected 697 people at the construction site.
"Of the 697 people inspected, 630 foreigners aged between 18 and 50 were detained, comprising 622 men and eight women," he said.
Chinese people accounted for the largest group, with 396 detainees, followed by 199 Bangladeshis, 10 Pakistanis, seven people from Myanmar, five Indians, four Ghanaians, three Nigerians, two Kenyans, two Indonesians, one person from New Zealand and one Senegalese.
Ridzzuan said the detainees were arrested for various immigration offences under Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
"Six witness summonses were also issued to assist investigations.
"The operation faced several challenges, including attempts by some detainees to flee by hiding in high-risk areas and climbing onto the roofs of unfinished buildings.
"Provocative actions by a group of detainees against immigration officers also created tension, requiring our personnel to act swiftly to bring the situation under control," he said.
Ridzzuan said heavy rain further complicated the operation, leaving surfaces slippery and access routes muddy.
"Unfinished building structures, elevator shafts, exposed reinforcement bars, scattered construction materials, heavy machinery and work at heights also posed safety risks to our officers," he said.
He reminded employers, main contractors and subcontractors to ensure that all foreign workers had valid travel documents and immigration passes or permits, and complied with immigration requirements.
"The department will continue to intensify enforcement to ensure compliance with the country's immigration laws," he added.
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