KUCHING, July 24: Over 3,000 undocumented or illegal immigrants have been detected and driven out of Tanjung Datu under Ops Benteng.
Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Eastern Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Dato Pahlawan Syed Zahrul Putra Syed Abdullah revealed that the arrests, carried out by eight personnel, not only involved illegal immigrants but also other offences including unlicensed fishing and encroachment of foreign fishermen especially from Vietnam.
“We together with other enforcement agencies have acted to expel the unauthorized immigrants to avoid any problems which could arise and arrests were only made if necessary,” he told Ukas today.
Syed Zahrul was met after paying a courtesy call on Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today.
Thus, he emphasised the importance of strong cooperation between the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), Marine Police, the General Operations Force (GOF) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to curb the entry of illegal immigrants through the country’s waters.
“MAF together with several national security enforcement agencies like Marine Police, GOF and MMEA have worked closely together to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants and other intrusions through Ops Benteng.
“The cooperations is important to strengthen the defence of the country from being intruded by illegal immigrants into the country,” he added.
The Royal Malaysia Air Force Brigadier General Muhammad Taha Hamdan and RMN Captain Mohd Hasnan Mohd Hanafiah were also present.—DayakDaily
