CHILD AMONG 21 FOREIGN NATIONALS DEPORTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO ENTER SARAWAK ILLEGALLY

KUCHING, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Army (TDM) deported 21 Indonesian foreign nationals, including a four-year-old child, for attempting to enter the country through illegal routes at the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Lundu, located at the southern tip of Sarawak, yesterday.

According to the Media Operations Cell, Eastern Field Command headquarters of the TDM, those arrested comprised 17 women and four men, aged four to 48 years old, as the result of a border security patrol operation conducted around 3.20 pm yesterday.

“TDM operational forces conducting patrols in the Lundu border sector detected suspicious movement of the group as they were moving from the Indonesian border towards Malaysian territory.

“Acting swiftly, the security forces conducted a raid about 800 metres from the border on the Malaysian side before successfully preventing the group from escaping into the interior," it said in a statement today.

According to the statement, early inspection found that the majority of the immigrants did not possess valid travel documents, and it is believed that the purpose of their entry was to seek employment and obtain goods without going through authorised immigration checkpoints.

The operational forces also seized various goods worth RM10,637, including 19 units of smartphones, raising questions about the group's true motives.

“The safety checks confirmed that all individuals involved were not carrying any firearms or dangerous materials when detained.

"All 21 foreign immigrants were then immediately deported to their country of origin through the nearest border on the same day, while a police report was made at the Lundu district police headquarters as proof of the foiled intrusion," it added.

-- BERNAMA