Staff Reporter :
The Malaysia government have nabbed over 409 foreigners, mostly Bangladeshi nationals, ahead of Southeast Asian Games scheduled to begin there in mid-August.
Police on Sunday and Monday launched massive crackdowns on the illegal immigrants in capital Kuala Lumpur to ‘ensure foolproof security’ as the Southeast Asia’s biggest sporting event is going to take place there soon, Malaysia’s top anti-terror official Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told journalists, quoted by online newspaper and agency.
Of the 409 foreigners, 275 were released later, 133 detained on suspicion of immigration violations and one person was held under Malaysia’s Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act, he said.
Ayob said machines to make fake passports and forge Malaysian immigration documents were also seized from their possession.
Those held in a series of raids in capital Kuala Lumpur were mainly from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, the official said, adding more than 409 people were detained in a counter-terrorism operation.
Besides, foreign workers from Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar, Oman, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Nigeria and Sri Lanka were also held during the raid, Ayob said.
Security in the city is being tightened up ahead of the Southeast Asian Games, which will begin in just over a week’s time.
The detained men were taken to police headquarters, where their identities were screened against Interpol’s Foreign Terrorist Fighters’ list and Malaysia’s counter-terrorism database, the anti-terror official said.
“The operation is the first of many that we are going to conduct in conjunction with SEA Games,” Ayob said, adding, “The main aim is to weed out the area from any threats, including terror elements.” He said police operations would focus in the Klang Valley and in states where sports events will be hosted, including northern Kedah state and Penang, on the northwest coast.
Authorities said they were targeting anyone with missing or fraudulent travel documents or who was believed to be affiliated with terror groups in Syria and Iraq.
“We will detect and take action against foreigners suspected of having links with terrorists, especially those involved in activities in Syria,” police counter-terror official Ayob said, quoted by Free Malaysia Today.
Officers were also equipped with devices to detect radioactive materials, police said, although no such items were found.
The authorities have carried out preparations to beef up security during the 29th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), a multi-sport event involving 11 countries that is scheduled to take place from Aug 19 to 31. Last Friday, police launched drills and practiced commando raids in Kuala Lumpur to prepare for the games. Prime Minister Najib Razak and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi witnessed the practice runs.
Ayob said that since 2013, officials have arrested and deported 40 foreigners on suspicion of links to terror groups.
Anti-terror crackdowns during the past four years have also led to arrests of 310 Malaysians, according to government figures compiled by BenarNews. About 66 of those suspects have since been freed, officials said.
“Terrorism is an ongoing threat and Malaysia is putting all its effort to ensure safety and security of everyone in the country,” Ayob said. During the raids, immigration officers also smashed a syndicate involved in forging residency documents and arrested a Pakistani national, Ayob said.
Malaysia has about 32 million residents, including almost 1.8 million legally registered foreign workers and about 2 million undocumented immigrants who work in sectors ranging from agriculture to construction.
Since July 1, more than 5,500 foreigners – mostly Indonesians and Bangladeshis – have been entangled in a massive crackdown on illegal immigration in Malaysia, which has become a magnet for migrant workers from poorer neighboring nations.
On Monday, Southeast Asian lawmakers urged Malaysia stop its crackdown on foreign workers.
“This inhumane action must be halted,” Emmi De Jesus, a Philippine lawmaker, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur after a four-day fact-finding visit.
In a statement released earlier, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights quoted De Jesus as saying that because of the ongoing crackdown in Malaysia, many migrants were living in fear.
