114 undocumented migrants held in raids on Johor factories
JOHOR BARU: More than 100 foreign nationals have been arrested following multiple raids on factories across five districts in Johor.
Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said the detainees, aged between 21 and 55, were taken in during Ops Gempur Sasar on Wednesday (May 28).
'The raids, which focused on factories, were carried out simultaneously in Johor Baru, Muar, Segamat, Mersing and Batu Pahat.
'A total of 114 foreigners from eight countries were arrested in the raids after inspections were carried out on some 511 people,' he said in a statement on Friday (May 30).
He said the suspects, including 10 women, were from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia.
'We also arrested four local men between 50 and 60 years old who are company owners and managers,' he said.
Rusdi said the foreign nationals are being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963, while the Malaysians are being investigated under Section 55E of the same Act for allowing undocumented foreigners to enter or stay in their premises.
'We have also issued notices to 10 individuals to report to the Immigration office to assist in the investigation,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Protect coerced drug mules
MALAYSIA is facing a pressing human rights and legal crisis. We see a growing number of citizens being exploited by international drug syndicates as couriers and many are ending up on death row in foreign countries. From 2021 to 2023, 77 Malaysians were arrested overseas for drug trafficking. In 2023 alone, 28 individuals were detained in various countries including the UK, France, China and the Maldives. As of early 2024, 74 Malaysians were reported to be on death row abroad, convicted for transporting narcotics across borders, often under circumstances that suggest coercion or deception. The majority were not hardened criminals but individuals lured by false job offers, online romance scams or the promise of quick money. Syndicates have used social media platforms to offer payments of RM5,000 to RM10,000 per trip to smuggle drugs, exploiting economic desperation and emotional vulnerability. In early 2024, British authorities noted a threefold increase in cannabis seizures at Scottish airports involving Malaysians, underscoring the scale of the problem. Closer to home, the Johor Bahru–Singapore trafficking corridor has become a known route for cross-border smuggling. In one high-profile case, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was convicted in Singapore in 2017 for trafficking over 50g of diamorphine. He has consistently maintained he was unaware the parcel he was carrying contained drugs and alleged he was coerced by a trafficker known as 'Anand'. The late Kalwant Singh, executed in 2022, similarly claimed he was forced into transporting narcotics by an individual identified only as 'Anna'. These cases reveal a deeper systemic flaw as drug syndicates exploit loopholes in Malaysia's legal framework and take advantage of jurisdictional boundaries that restrict foreign authorities such as Singapore from investigating trafficking operations within Malaysian territory. Despite the clear patterns of coercion and manipulation, Malaysia's current legal structure provides little to no protection for individuals caught in these scenarios. While the Penal Code does include defences such as duress/threat (s.94) and mistake of fact (s.76), these provisions are narrowly defined and often inapplicable in complex trafficking cases involving psychological pressure or deceit. More critically, section 25 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom) only grants immunity to victims for immigration-related offences, not for more serious crimes like drug trafficking, even when such acts were committed under coercion. This legal gap is at odds with international norms. Malaysia is a signatory to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Palermo Protocol), which promotes a victim-centred approach and the principle of non-punishment. This means victims should not be penalised for crimes committed as a direct consequence of their exploitation. Countries such as the UK have already translated this into domestic law through provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which provide statutory defences for trafficked persons compelled to commit offences. Malaysia, however, has yet to adopt similar legal safeguards. Without legislative reform, the government risks compounding the harm faced by victims. Malaysians who are prosecuted abroad often lack adequate consular assistance, legal representation or mechanisms for proper victim identification. The absence of guidelines or institutional support means that many are misclassified as criminals and denied access to justice, despite strong indicators of coercion. This reflects not only a failure of protection but a fundamental failure of principle. Atipsom must be amended to include broader immunity provisions for victims of trafficking who are coerced into committing serious offences. Section 94 of the Penal Code, which governs duress, should also be revised to recognise psychological coercion and manipulation. Additionally, law enforcement, prosecutors and consular officers must be trained to identify and support potential victims of forced criminality. Malaysia must also strengthen bilateral cooperation with destination countries to ensure the fair treatment, repatriation and rehabilitation of its citizens who have been exploited. Diplomatic intervention is crucial in cases where victims face the death penalty or life imprisonment without the opportunity to raise a defence. The time has come for Malaysia to move beyond a punitive approach and adopt a rights-based, victim-focused framework that reflects our international obligations and national conscience. Those coerced into crime should not be punished. Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid is a criminologist and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya.
Malaysiakini
6 hours ago
- Malaysiakini
KJ, charismatic but dangerous
YOURSAY | 'Are there no other educated and capable leaders in Umno?' Khairy's rumoured cabinet return: Reform opportunity or political gamble? Cyclonus: Khairy Jamaluddin, better known as KJ, is an impressive intellectual (or appears to be) with lots of charisma. But this is what makes him even more dangerous. The younger crowd will trust him blindly, no matter what his agenda. Amid the 1MDB scandal, he supported jailed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak. You would think a smart guy like him could see through Najib when the rest of the civilised world could. However, KJ put loyalty to Umno and Najib above the good of all Malaysians and Malaysia. That was very disappointing and dangerous. Forget him. GreenFalcon2290: Ah, yes, KJ is known as a 'progressive and reformer'. Like Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi? Where are the voters located, urban centres or elsewhere? Are PAS voters desperate to vote for progressive, reformer candidates? How many in the Parliament are progressive and anxious to get a leader? Nice. In 2016, KJ was embroiled in a controversy surrounding a RM100 million scandal involving the Youth and Sports Ministry, where he was its minister. If the ministerial post was a certainty, would KJ make this bizarre statement that he is busy? Do you know anyone for the past 67 years who was too busy to accept a minister position? As for his remarkable qualities, they seem very common and routine for anyone working in the corporate world. Interesting? No. Milshah: Something appears to be not right. Umno should be a party where there is a good pool of educated and capable young leaders. What happened to all the educated and capable Umno leaders? I refer to another article related to the retirement age for politicians, where the young ones were supportive, but the old guard were against the idea. They (politicians) do not know when to quit and let the younger generation take over. They 'cantas' (get rid of, as in trimming a branch on a tree) potential leaders, or they do not give them opportunities to lead, as they see these young leaders as threats. I'm not talking about party central committees but division leaders as well. They want the position for life and will 'cantas' any young leaders who could take over from them. Then, when the party asks: Where are the young educated capable leaders? There is no one, comes the answer. Why? Because all of them have been 'cantas' already. FairPlay: What's so great about KJ? He is also an old wine in a new bottle, as the saying goes. He may not be as old as the others, but soon, he will fall into the group known as 'recycle'. There is no future (whatsoever) if the politics in the country keep rebranding old and recycled wine as new wine. We have 68 years of journey as a sovereign nation. Where is the nation today when compared with the tiny red dot south of the border? Headhunter: We thought he had crossed the Rubicon (point of no return) and had moved on. He is better off if he joins the likes of outgoing Economy Minister and ex-PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who recently resigned from his minister post. They can move to or form a new party. Umno is fundamentally rotten to the core, and nothing much can be done to revive it. The entrenched old dogs will not easily or willingly give up their lucrative positions and will not give him a free rein to 'kill their golden goose'. He will be seen as a threat, as history has shown. Furthermore, his past grassroots supporters have moved on to find new pastures. Coward: KJ is already in Umno. In fact, despite his sacking from Umno in January 2023, he has remained in the party. He has his flaws, but overall, he is one of the more capable and less tainted leaders in Umno. As such, his return to the government is probably good news instead of bad. KJ is definitely one, if not the only, candidate who will be chosen by an Umno leader who has the party's future. However, other undeserving and definitely way worse candidates will likely edge him out because they have the ears of Umno leaders. Umno leaders are also those who are known to prioritise themselves over the party. Winning Scarecrow: Khairy must enhance his Islamic credentials before making a comeback. Anwar needs leaders who can help him accomplish his goal of making Malaysia a great Islamic state. Young Malaysians have indicated in surveys that they prefer to have leaders with a strong Islamic background like Anwar, newly minted PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and other leaders from PAS. We cannot find such leaders in Umno so far, so Khairy needs to prove that he is more Islamic than PAS leaders before being accepted again by Malaysians as their leader. The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now. These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Malaysian woman allegedly scammed after transferring RM37 to man claiming his car keys were 'missing'
AS scammers overrun our phone lines, preying on the goodwill of Malaysians, it certainly helps to stay vigilant. Recently, a young Malaysian woman warned others about a man who allegedly scammed her out of over RM30 after asking for her help to book an e-hailing ride. 'Luckily, he only asked for money. What if he had brandished a knife? I could have been dead! I just take it as the money wasn't meant for me – as long as I'm safe,' she wrote in a Threads post. The incident reportedly took place at a parking bay in a Subang Jaya shopping mall. 'He was literally shaking and out of breath,' she alleged in her post. According to the post, the man approached her for help, claiming his car keys were 'missing' and that his wallet was locked inside his car. She said she asked him why he couldn't simply transfer the money directly to the e-hailing driver, instead of asking her to make the payment. He later explained that he was using a different e-hailing platform to book his ride. The woman eventually agreed to help. She shared her contact number so that he could repay her, and while she was transferring the money into his bank account, he requested that she transfer RM37 instead. 'He claimed he wanted to ensure there was enough balance in his account. I was foolish enough to comply, assuming he would pay me back,' she wrote. 'But in my heart, I'd already accepted it — if he pays, it's a bonus; if he doesn't, it's okay, maybe the money just wasn't meant for me,' she added. After getting into her car, she recalled seeing a social media post describing a similar incident — and that's when it hit her that she may have been scammed. A screenshot of the conversation between her and the man — attached to the post — showed her having a one-sided exchange, including a QR code for him to repay her. As the post gained traction, several users came forward with similar experiences, with one user claiming to have allegedly encountered the same man.
