BETONG: A total of 171 individuals were checked in workers quarters at two different locations in oil palm plantations here in separate raids by the Immigration Department in ‘Ops Ikrar (Sapu)’ early Monday morning.
Head of Operations, Deputy Assistant Director of Immigration, TPPI Mehuen anak Runies with 36 enforcement personnel from Kuching and eight Immigration Officers from Sri Aman raided the first location (workers quarters) at Jalan Sri Aman-Sarikei around 1.30am. A total of 74 people comprising 53 local men and 21 Indonesian men were checked.
During the checking and screening seven Indonesian men were found to have committed offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63. Four of them were detained under Section 15 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying after their visit passes have expired.
Three individuals were detained under Section 6 (1) (c) under the same Act for failing to produce any valid travel documents to be in this country.
In connection with the arrest of these illegal immigrants, the Immigration Department has issued a witness summons form to a representative of the employer for further investigation.
The operation continued by proceeding to a second location (workers quarters) at 2.15am.
A total of 97 comprising 55 local men, 41 Indonesian men and one Indonesian woman were checked.
During the check 11 Indonesian men and one Indonesian woman were suspected of committing an offence under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Five Indonesian men were arrested under Section 15 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying in this country after their visit pass expired.
Meanwhile, six men and one woman, all Indonesians were arrested on suspicion of committing an offence under Section 6 (1) (c) of the same Act for failing to produce any valid travel documents while in the country.
Also present during the operation were State Director of Immigration, Ken Leben, Head of Immigration Sri Aman, Puan Raika Edwin and Deputy Head of Sarawak Immigration Enforcement Division, Puan Rosliah Kassim.
During the inspection, Immigration personnel also found a homemade shotgun, three cartridges and an empty cartridge under a table in the porch area.
The shotgun was handed over to the Sri Aman Police for their further action.
This was the second discovery of firearms in an operation conducted by the Immigration Enforcement Division, where at the end of last year a handmade shotgun was also found in a house in an oil palm plantation in Kota Samarahan.
Ken Leben said that illegal immigrants were now more daring and aggressive to avoid being arrested by the authority concerned.
“This situation if left unchecked will endanger national security and our citizens,” he said.
In the raid, another witness summons was issued to a representative of an employer to assist the Immigration Department in their investigation.
No untoward incident happened during the operation.
All the illegal immigrants were later taken to the Semuja Immigration Detention Depo for further investigation.
