Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Malaysian immigration authorities apprehended 598 immigrants, including 85 Bangladeshis, during an enforcement operation at the Meru Market Complex in Klang on Saturday.
Deputy Director-General (Operations) of Immigration Jafri Embok Taha said that the operation, which began at 5:30am, resulted in 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 in an attempt to evade detention.
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, overstaying visas, failure to comply with visa conditions, possession of unrecognized cards, and other breaches of the Immigration Act.
The operation, which concluded around 7am, was conducted by 153 officers from Immigration, the General Operations Force (GOF), the Klang Municipal Council (MBDK), and the National Registration Department (JPN).
Jafri added that some detainees employed "guerrilla tactics" to avoid arrest.
Immigration authorities will continue to conduct operations to identify, apprehend, prosecute, and deport foreign nationals who violate the Immigration Act, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
