Abdul Halim speaking to the media at the press conference last night.
KUCHING (Feb 17): A total of 27 foreign nationals were detained by the Sarawak Immigration Department in a raid on an entertainment outlet here on Friday night.
State director Abdul Halim Abang Naili said the raid was carried out at 9.30pm under ‘Ops Gegar’ by a total of 52 enforcement officers.
“The operation was conducted based on intelligence regarding foreign workers with expired working permits who were found to be overstaying in Malaysia without proper documents,” Abdul Halim told reporters in a press conference at their headquarters here on Friday.
The individuals apprehended comprised 17 Chinese nationals, two Vietnamese nationals and one Indonesian national, all women.
Additionally, seven Indonesian men were taken into custody.
He added they are being detained at the Semuja Immigration Detention Depot for further investigation under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Abdul Halim said similar operations will be held in Sarawak to tackle the number of undocumented migrants.
“We also urge the public to work with the department to come forward by providing us information on suspected foreigners working here without proper work and travel documents.”
Between Jan 1-Feb 14 this year, the department has conducted a total of 117 operations and conducted checks on a total of 1,448 foreigners.
“A total of 493 foreigners and seven local employers have been detained,” he said.