KUCHING: A total of 8,774 illegal immigrants are being held at 14 immigration detention depots nationwide, said Immigration director-general Datuk Indera Khairul Dzaimee Daud. He revealed that most of the immigrants came from Indonesia with 3,172 people, followed by Myanmar (1,912) and Bangladesh (1,466).
Speaking to a press conference after chairing the 2nd Malaysia-Indonesia Immigration Consultation held at Malaysian Tax Academy (MTA) yesterday, he noted that the meeting served as a medium and platform between the two countries to resolve issues related to immigration and operations pertaining to border controls.
“The main discussion was on border control management and migration between the two countries to ensure that sovereignty is not easily compromised.
“As such, the management of travel documents should be carried out efficiently and effectively through diplomacy.
“We have also discussed measures to expedite the release of Indonesians detained in the country’s detention depot,” he said.
Indera also disclosed that a total of 56,284 illegal immigrants have been deported back to their respective countries under the ‘Bad for Good’ programme undertaken by the department since Aug 1, this year.
“As of Nov 1, a total of 75,344 foreigners were registered under the same programme.
“The top three foreign nationals registered under this programme are Indonesia (28,676) Bangladesh (19,386) and India (13728), while the remaining are from Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Immigration director-general Ronny Frenky Sompie said that his department welcomed the programme as a wise move undertaken by his counterpart (Malaysia). He added that, as of now, 16,000 Indonesians have applied for passport approval for job placement abroad including in Malaysia.
