POLICE RESCUE 16 FORCED LABOUR VICTIMS IN KLANG VALLEY RAIDS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Bernama) -- Police rescued 16 people, including teenagers, believed to be victims of forced labour during a series of raids across the Klang Valley conducted yesterday by Bukit Aman’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) unit under Op Pintas Mega.

Bukit Aman D3 chief SAC Soffian Santong said the first raid took place just after midnight at a restaurant in Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang, where five teenage boys - four from Myanmar and one from Indonesia, aged 16 to 17, were rescued.

Two men were arrested - a 29-year-old Malaysian who was the employer, and a 26-year-old Indian national who acted as the supervisor. Both are being investigated under the ATIPSOM Act 2007.

Police also dtained 20 other foreign workers, including Indian, Myanmar, Bangladeshi, and Indonesian nationals, for suspected immigration offences.

The second raid at 11.30am, took place at a construction site in Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur. Eight men - a local and seven Bangladeshis aged between 35 and 51, were rescued.

Soffian said two Bangladeshi men acting as supervisors were arrested under the ATIPSOM Act, while 17 others were detained under the Immigration Act.

“Later in the day, police raided two car workshops in Puchong Utama around 4.15pm and 4.25pm. They rescued three teenage boys, aged 14 to 17, including one from Myanmar, “ he added.

Two local men believed to be the workshop owners were arrested under the ATIPSOM Act. Two Myanmar nationals working there were also detained for immigration offences.

All rescued victims were taken to police stations in Gombak, Brickfields, and Subang Jaya for further action.

The joint operation also involved the Home Ministry, Immigration Department, Labour Department, Maritime Enforcement Agency, and the National Anti-Trafficking Council MAPO.

“Police are serious about fighting human trafficking and urge the public to report any suspicious activities in their area,” said Soffian.

-- BERNAMA