Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Kuala Lumpur

The Malaysian government has carried out a large-scale operation to catch illegal immigrants. More than 1,000 people were arrested from operations in the neighboring country. The operation involved more than 1,000 personnel. The Malaysian government is trying to eradicate criminal activities involving foreign nationals who are illegal immigrants. Over 1,000 Illegal Immigrants Arrested As reported by Malay Mail and The Star, Saturday (23/12/2023), the large-scale operation was focused on an area called Jalan Silang and the area around Kota Raya - both of which are in the capital Kuala Lumpur - on Thursday ( 12/21) local time. Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Commissioner Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid stated that more than 60 locations in the two areas underwent inspections in the joint operation, which was spearheaded by the Bukit Aman Department of Internal Security and Public Order. The operation was carried out by 1,138 personnel, including from the General Operations Forces Central Brigade, Federal Reserve Unit, Customs Department, Immigration Department and Kuala Lumpur City Hall. "We detained more than 1,101 foreign nationals without valid documents from various countries, including two children," Allaudeen said at a press conference, as reported by Bernama news agency. He said several people tried to escape, but were caught because a good blockade had been carried out in the area. "They were detained for various immigration violations," he said, while stating that the foreigners who were arrested would be handed over to the Immigration Department for follow-up. Smuggled Goods Worth Hundreds of Millions Confiscated Allaudeen said the majority of the detained foreigners worked and lived in the area, while some were in the area for other purposes. He said the operation was aimed at exposing criminal activity around the area and the Kota Raya complex, especially involving foreigners. "This operation also focuses on limiting unhealthy activities in the area. The police will always carry out similar integrated operations from time to time to ensure Kuala Lumpur is free from illegal immigrants," he stressed. In his statement, Allaudeen added that confiscation was also carried out on smuggled goods with a total value of 104,530 Ringgit or the equivalent of Rp. 347.2 million. The smuggled goods included 100 cartons of cigarettes, 80 cartons of alcoholic drinks and illegal drugs which were brought into Malaysia without approval from the Ministry of Health. "The illegal drugs mostly come from Nepal and Bangladesh, which were brought in without permission from the Ministry of Health. We will investigate further how they smuggled these goods into our country," said Allaudeen. He added that the illegal drugs were sold to other foreigners and confiscated from premises converted into mini-clinics for foreigners. Complaints of Local Malaysian Traders Local traders located in the Jalang Silang area, Malaysia, welcomed the large-scale operation being carried out. The traders even asked for the operation to be carried out in many other places. One local trader blamed illegal immigrants for causing problems and causing property damage, which frightened local traders. "Some foreigners often make noise and fight... when they are drunk. One of their fights even damaged my stall," said Alona Passio (42), a local trader in the Jalan Silang area. He said almost all businesses in the area employ immigrants, most of whom come from Bangladesh and Nepal. Another local trader, Anuar Shari (69), who has been doing business in the area for more than 10 years, said that foreigners in the Jalan Silang area often do not respect the local community. "I saw foreign nationals, especially Rohingya, taking over this place like it was their own village. They didn't respect the local people," he said. "Because there are so many of them, they are rude. They like to spit everywhere, without maintaining cleanliness and often causing problems," said Anuar when speaking to Bernama.