KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) detained 248 foreigners in the Immigration Enforcement Operation in Harian Selayang Market and Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market here early this morning.
Director-General Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said, the foreigners especially Rohingya were doing business on the side of the road in two wholesale markets involved while being arrested after his party received complaints from the public.
He said, out of the number of foreigners checked, 139 people do not have self-identity documents involving citizens of Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
“Of this total, a total of 109 people are card holders of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), 106 are Napedia and three other Pakistani citizens.
“As a result of this operation, as many as 248 foreigners have been detained for further examination, of which 205 are men and 43 women,” he said at a press conference today.
The operation was carried out at 8 am this morning involving 109 members of the Immigration Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, and with the assistance of other enforcement agencies involving the Public Defense Forces (APM).
Khairul Dzaimee added, his party often received complaints and complaints from local people about the presence of Rohingya ethnic business on the roadside and the wholesale market involved.
“The presence of these people has affected the interests of traders because they do business do not have to pay site rent.
“The price of vegetables and market items they are selling are cheaper than the local traders in the market,” he said.
He revealed, the Rohingya ethnic are able to sell vegetables and other raw materials at much cheaper prices because they obtained them from materials that have been discarded by major traders.
“They process before resale, this is not new but often arises by Immigration,” he said.
In order to avoid arresting Immigration officers, some of them fled and immediately disguised as customers while walking to buy groceries.
“So their modus operandi has actually long been traced by Immigration.
"Even today's operation is not the first operation held, these two areas are placed as hot areas by the JIM where the presence is omni present and periodic operations by the DBKL are frequently carried out," he said again