Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
More than 30,000 enforcement personnel started moving in small groups to hunt
for illegal workers and their employers just after midnight today.
<p>The operation, codenamed Ops Tegas, involves some 25,000 Rela members, 680
Immigration officers and 5,000 Rukun Tetangga members. </p>
<p>In Kuala Lumpur, a raiding party comprising 400 Rela men and six Immigration
officers moved to a construction site in Cheras in search of the illegals who
still refuse to leave the country after the amnesty period ended yesterday.
</p>
<p>Off the 400 Rela personnel, only six officers carried pistols, and another
20 had batons. </p>
<p>At 12.30am the raiding team, headed by Federal Territory Rela director Mejar
Aminuddin Mohd Yusoff , moved out of their Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman base in
four black Maria vans, three factory and two school buses used in the operation
that started at 12.30am. </p>
<p>Five Immigration officers also accompanied the team to check the construction
site. </p>
<p>Immigration enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohamed said those caught would
either be charged in court or deported while employers who hired them would
be placed in police lock-ups before being charged in court. </p>
<p>"It’s up to the police whether to deny bail to employers caught with more
than five illegal immigrants during these raids," he said. </p>
<p>Ishak said the operation to arrest and charge the remaining 400,000 illegal
workers and their employers would continue until they were all flushed out.
</p>
<p>Hours before the crackdown, thousands of illegal immigrants left for their
home countries. </p>
<p>In Port Klang, about 4,000 illegal workers left on board two Indonesian navy
vessels while thousands more left via Malacca, Johor and Penang. </p>
<p>Rela director-general Datuk Mahadi Arshad said 25,000 officers would be involved
in the operations while 290,000 members would be on standby to provide assistance.
</p>
<p>"We have identified areas where the illegals may be hiding based on information
provided by the public," he said, adding that they would go to residential
areas and villages to nab them. </p>
<p>"We urge the public to come forward with any information to help us nab
the illegals. Our hotlines are open 24 hours to receive tip-offs," he said.
</p>
<p>The illegals would be housed at the Immigration Department’s depots before
being deported, he said. </p>
<p>Mahadi added that employers found to be hiring illegals would be handed over
to the Immigration Department to be surrendered to the police.
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