THERMAL DRONES HELP IMMIGRATION DEPT DETAIN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN CHERAS

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Immigration Department detained 218 foreign nationals in an integrated operation at Taman Emas, Cheras tonight, with the assistance of thermal drone technology to detect individuals attempting to hide, including on building rooftops.

JIM Deputy Director-General (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said the use of the technology enabled the department to detect about 15 foreign nationals who attempted to hide on the rooftops of shop premises to evade arrest.

He said the operation, conducted from 6 pm to 8.30 pm, involved inspections of 1,087 individuals at business premises as well as accommodation areas located on the upper floors of buildings.

“Of the total, 218 foreign nationals aged between 18 and 53 were detained for suspected involvement in various immigration offences,” he said at a press conference at the operation site.

He said the operation, resulting from intelligence gathered over two weeks, involved 279 Immigration officers and 10 officers from the National Registration Department (NRD).

According to Lokman Effendi, those detained comprised 166 men and 52 women, involving 78 from Myanmar, Bangladeshi (56), Indonesia (44), Nigeria (12), Nepal (10), India (5), Sri Lanka (4) and other countries (9).

He said all detainees would be placed at the Semenyih Immigration Detention Depot for further investigation into various offences, including failure to possess valid identification documents, breach of pass conditions, overstaying, use of unrecognised cards, as well as other offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63.

“Enforcement operations will continue to be carried out on an ongoing basis to detect, arrest, prosecute and deport foreign nationals who violate the country’s laws under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Passport Act 1966, the Immigration Regulations 1963 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007,” he said.

As of yesterday, he said a total of 1,069 enforcement operations had been conducted nationwide, involving inspections of 17,793 individuals, with 3,691 illegal immigrants and 110 employers arrested.

In this regard, he reminded the public and employers not to hire or harbour foreign nationals without valid documents, as strict action would be taken against those involved.

At the same time, Lokman Effendi also advised illegal immigrants to take the opportunity to participate in the Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0, which will end in April 2026, to avoid stricter enforcement action after the period expires.

-- BERNAMA