KUCHING: Ten Indonesian nationals, all men, were caught attempting to enter Sarawak illegally in three different locations during the weekend.
General Operations Force (GOF) Sarawak Brigade commander SAC Mancha Ata said the first incident happened last Saturday (Jan 30) around 9.30am in Tebedu, Serian.
A GOF 11th Battalion team was carrying out patrols in the area and spotted two men aged 29 and 36 in a suspicious manner.
Inspections found that both men did not have any valid travel documents to enter Malaysia.
“They were then instructed to return to their country of origin through the Tebedu Immigration and Customs Quarantine Complex (ICQS) main entrance.
“Later at around 3.30pm at Kampung Pasir Tengah, Lundu, a patrol team from GOF Sarawak headquarters spotted five Indonesian men in a house believed to be used as a transit point for immigrants.
“Inspections found that all of them aged 25 to 35, did not have any valid travel documents to enter Malaysia.
“All five men were instructed to return to their country of origin via the same route they used to enter the state,” he told.
The next day (Jan 31) at about 6.40pm, an Ops Benteng Covid task force detained three Indonesian men inside a house in Bau.
Mancha said the house is believed to be used as a transit point for illegal immigrants who had entered Sarawak via a rat trail.
All of three men aged between 32 and 52, did not have any valid travel documents and were ordered to go back to their country of origin via the same route they used to come to Sarawak.
All the deportations were made under the Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Act 1988 (Act 342).
In January, GOF Sarawak recorded success worth RM612,234 with 18 cases involving a total of 60 arrests including 12 ‘tekongs’ (17 locals and 43 Indonesians) and the deportation of 23 undocumented foreigners comprising16 men and seven women.