MIRI: Fifty foreigners, including children, have been arrested for various immigration offences at a remote plantation yesterday (Mar 6).
The Sarawak Immigration Department said that a team from the Miri Immigration Enforcement Unit, acting on information, raided a plantation in Bekenu and conducted inspections on the individuals there.
Checks found that a total of 50 foreigners, including children, were found to be living in Malaysia beyond the expiry date of their social visit passes and are working without a valid work pass.
All the foreign detainees are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
In addition, the contractor can also be prosecuted under the same Act if found to be protecting and employing undocumented migrants.
The department said employers or contractors, who employ foreigners without valid work permits, often make remote settlements with no network coverage and imperfect transportation network, into a “safe haven” for them.
In light of this, the authorities have appealed to the pubic for tipoffs on the presence of foreigners in their areas through established channels or directly to the nearest Immigration Enforcement Office.
