TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Malaysian Immigration Department arrested 132 undocumented migrants in a raid on the illegal settlements at an oil palm plantation area in the small town of Setia Alam, Selangor, Malaysia, as reported by the Bernama news agency on February 18, 2024. Of the figure, 130 illegal migrants hailed from Indonesia.

Immigration Deputy Director-General (Operations) Jafri Embok Taha said the 130 Indonesians comprised of 76 men, 41 women, and 13 children, including a nine-month-old baby. The other two are hailed from Bangladesh. They were all detained during the operation, which was launched at 2:38 am local time.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government had not yet received consular notification of the arrest through its embassy in Malaysia.

“Once the consular notification is received, the embassy will immediately provide consular assistance, including efforts to expedite the repatriation of the citizens in vulnerable groups,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesman Lalu Muhammad Iqbal told Tempo via a text message on February 19.

According to intelligence and public complaints, the illegal settlement had been in existence for four years and was equipped with electricity, grocery stores, food stalls, and places of worship or surau.

“These foreigners are believed to be renting the area from the locals, who also supply electricity. The 'Ketua Kampung' (village chief) here claimed they shared paying about RM6,000 (Rp19 million) a month for renting 0.6 hectares of land,” Jafri said.

He added that most of the foreigners worked as cleaners, restaurant waiters, and construction workers. All the foreigners failed to present valid travel documents and had been in Malaysia for a long time.

“During the three-hour operation, there were those who climbed on the roof and locked themselves (inside the house) to avoid being arrested by the authorities,” the Malaysian Immigration Department official said.

NABIILA AZZAHRA | BERNAMA

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