Malaysian immigration authorities apprehended 598 immigrants, including 85 Bangladeshis, during an enforcement operation at the Meru Market Complex in Klang on Saturday.
Jafri Embok Taha, Deputy Director-General (Operations) of Immigration, stated that the operation, which began at 5:30 a.m., led to the arrest of 598 individuals out of 630 inspected. The detainees ranged in age from 17 to 57 years old.
Some of the arrested individuals claimed to hold United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards to evade detention.
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The operation included 530 Myanmar nationals, 85 Bangladeshis, seven Indonesians, five Indians, and one Nepali. All detainees were transferred to the Semenyih Immigration Depot for further investigation and legal action.
Violations discovered included the lack of identification documents, overstay, failure to comply with visa conditions, possession of unrecognized cards, and other breaches of the Immigration Act.
The operation, which concluded around 7 a.m., was conducted by 153 officers from Immigration, the General Operations Force (GOF), MBDK, and the National Registration Department (JPN).
Jafri added that some detainees used "guerrilla tactics" to avoid arrest.
Immigration authorities will continue to conduct operations to identify, apprehend, prosecute, and deport foreign nationals who breach the Immigration Act, Passport Act 1966, Immigration Regulations 1963, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
Source: The Star