Foreign workers’ syndicates will be dismantled at source, says minister

The home ministry is determined to dismantle the operations of syndicates manipulating the foreign worker system and falsifying documents at the source, without any tolerance, said its minister, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Saifuddin said the immigration department was no longer taking a defensive approach, but was instead acting aggressively to cripple the syndicates at their source.

“The ministry is determined to dismantle this chain of fraud at the root without any tolerance. Throughout my tenure at the helm of the ministry, we have proven that administrative power must be used boldly to safeguard national security,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Saifuddin said the firm action was demonstrated through swift and uncompromising enforcement by the immigration department in Ops Serkap on Sept 14, which saw 11 premises in the Jalan Chan Sow Lin commercial area in Kuala Lumpur raided simultaneously.

He said the operation led to the detention of 30 foreign nationals, including 11 suspected masterminds, comprising 10 men and one woman, all from Bangladesh, operating at the premises.

A total of 19 foreign nationals, comprising 16 Bangladeshis, one Myanmar national and two Indonesians, were detained for various immigration offences.

During the operation, 18 laptops, 21 printers and scanners, three mobile phones and 10 Bangladeshi international passports were seized, along with printed copies of fake electronic Temporary Employment Visit Passes (e-PLKS) and fake police reports.

Saifuddin said the fake e-PLKS were sold for RM150 each, while the fake police reports were sold for RM70 each.

He said the syndicates’ activities not only undermined the immigration administration system but also posed a threat to public safety and created opportunities for illegal entry by foreigners.