BENTONG: The Immigration Department today launched an integrated operation in Janda Baik, following a report by BH more than a week ago on the growing presence of foreigners in the popular tourist destination and traditional village settlement.
The operation, conducted with the Road Transport Department (RTD), began at about 10am, with enforcement teams raiding 19 locations and checking 278 foreigners.
Immigration deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said 65 foreigners were found to have committed various offences under the Immigration Act 1963, including not having valid passes, overstaying and misusing permits.
The raids covered Kampung Sumsum and Kampung Cheringin, involving three teams from the Pahang, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Immigration offices, as well as RTD, with a total of 150 officers and personnel.
"Raids were also conducted at construction sites, farms and resorts. The 65 foreigners detained, aged between 20 and 54, included nine women. They were taken to the Semenyih Immigration detention depot for further action.
"We also issued two notices requiring premises owners - one a resort owner and the other a farm owner - to appear before the Immigration Department's Investigation Division for further investigation," he said at a press conference attended by Enforcement Division director Datuk Basri Othman.
On Oct 11, BH reported that Janda Baik, long known for its natural beauty and as a popular tourist attraction, was facing an issue involving the presence of migrants from Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Information gathered indicated that they were in the area not only as workers but also to explore business and agricultural opportunities.
Lokman Effendi said the department had deployed a team to conduct intelligence gathering for a week following the report before carrying out today's operation.
"Some foreigners tried to flee during the raids, but all were detained. An officer sustained minor injuries while pursuing them.
"We cordoned off the area to ensure they would be apprehended even if they tried to escape. Some were also detained by RTD officers during roadblocks.
"The operation also extended to a construction site at the foot of Gunung Nuang. Preliminary investigations found that some of them had been here for more than four years without valid passes," he said.
He said the presence of foreigners in certain areas was driven by demand.
"We believe ties between the public and the authorities need to be strengthened to facilitate the sharing of information. For example, if foreigners are engaged in farming in an area, the land or premises owner must have given them permission.
"If premises owners or Malaysians themselves were patriotic and refused to allow foreigners to stay or conduct such activities, would they be able to do so? Certainly not. Malaysians themselves must therefore act responsibly.
"There is no need to make it easy for them to stay here for long periods or engage in activities they should not be carrying out on premises under our care," he said.
In a related development, Lokman Effendi said the department had conducted an average of 37 operations daily during the first 10 months of this year, bringing the total to about 11,000 operations so far.
He said about 150,000 foreigners had been checked during the operations, with more than 66,000 detained. Of these, 45,000 had been deported to their home countries, while the rest were still being processed by the Immigration Department and other enforcement agencies.
"Most of the more than 66,000 foreigners detained were from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Myanmar.
"The figures show that Immigration conducts an average of more than 37 raids a day. This means there is hardly an hour without an operation or raid, demonstrating our commitment to detaining foreigners who violate immigration laws," he said.
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He also said the department had identified 224 hotspots nationwide for monitoring issues involving foreigners.
He urged the public to act as the department's "eyes and ears" by providing information to facilitate follow-up action.
"If members of the public witness any violations of the law by foreigners, they should lodge an official report.
"This will enable the relevant authorities to conduct follow-up action and intelligence gathering.
"It is important that we enforce the law through proper legal channels.
"We do not want members of the public taking matters into their own hands, as this could lead to other undesirable incidents," he said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd