By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Jan 12: Sarawak detained 18 Indonesians including a child, and four local men at a road in Biawak, Lundu recently.
The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) in a media statement today said they were arrested by the General Operations Force (PGA) under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
The committee said all of them have been sent to the Sentosa Polyclinic for Covid-19 swab tests before they were handed over to the Padawan police for further action.
It added that there were two cases of expulsion of illegal immigrants in Biawak and one case of expulsion which involved two illegal immigrants in the past two days.
It added two illegal immigrants from Indonesia who entered through ‘lorong tikus’ in Kpg Sg Paoh, Serian were also directed to return back to their home country.
SDMC revealed the armed forces have conducted five cases of arrest or expulsion of illegal immigrants as well as seized goods.
Yesterday, the armed forces discovered a bag containing white powder believed to be drugs weighing 78.8 grammes.
The committee said the value of the drugs has yet to be ascertained and the authorities are awaiting confirmation from the Department of Chemistry.
The armed forces also arrested an illegal immigrant together with a skipper (‘tekong’) and seized the latter’s vehicle worth RM50,600 in Tebedu on January 9.
Meanwhile, the committee revealed the Sarawak Immigration Department has arrested a total of 48 illegal immigrants from January 10 until January 11.
Out of that number, 40 were from Indonesia, five from India and three from the Philippines.
The Sarawak Immigration Department has arrested a total of 356 people from January 1 until today (January 12).
Most of the detainees were arrested at food stalls, rented houses, public places, grocery shops and fish markets.
SDMC said they were captured during a special operation conducted in Kuching, Sibu and Miri.
All detainees have violated the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying and did not have valid documents. — DayakDaily
