NGO calls for deeper probe into trafficking networks behind KLIA detainee case

Malaysian Reserve

3 days ago

By GLORIA HARRY BEATTY
HUMAN rights non-profit organisation Tenaganita is urging authorities to go beyond border enforcement and investigate trafficking networks behind the arrival of 279 foreign nationals who were denied entry by the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) division of the Border Control Agency (AKPS) on June 2.
According to a recent statement by AKPS, this is the highest single-day record of Not-To-Land (NTL) cases since the KLIA Monitoring Team was established in 2023.
The removal is part of AKPS's ongoing efforts to tighten border security. All individuals involved were ordered to return to their countries of origin immediately following documentation and further screening by its officers.
Tenaganita ED Glorene Amala Das welcomed immigration authorities' use of intelligence tools to scrutinise travellers at the point of entry but warned that enforcement alone is not enough.
'It is encouraging to note that immigration authorities are using intelligence and available systems to assess incoming individuals against proper entry requirements, rather than allowing entry without sufficient scrutiny.
'However, while enforcement at the point of entry is important, it is equally critical to investigate and identify the networks facilitating these movements. We must ask: Who arranged for them to come? What agencies or individuals were involved on both ends, particularly in Malaysia?' she told the Malaysian Reserve.
Glorene pointed out that these arrivals do not happen in isolation and are often Malaysian-based recruiters, agents, or companies complicit in enabling their travel and planned employment here.
The group's years of work with migrant workers and trafficking victims reveal a pattern of deception by recruitment agents and companies operating in Malaysia and abroad.
'At Tenaganita, we have worked with many migrant workers and victims of trafficking who were deceived by false recruitment promises. Some sold their family lands or took on huge debts with the hope of decent work in Malaysia, only to find themselves exploited, undocumented, and abandoned.
'We hope that thorough investigations are underway to expose and hold accountable those who facilitated this attempt to enter Malaysia under dubious pretenses. Many of the individuals may have been victims of deception and coercion,' she cautioned.
Glorene also urged that those detained be allowed to return home safely and share their experiences to raise awareness in their communities to prevent further exploitation.
As the group continues its efforts to protect the rights of migrant workers and victims of trafficking, it believes accountability and systemic reform must go hand in hand with enforcement.