Arrest of undocumented migrants on in Malaysia amid lockdown
In order to handle coronavirus pandemic, Malaysia is carrying out a lockdown, dubbed 'Movement Control Order' (MCO).
Under the MCO, all of the expatriates together with the locals have already been confined with their respective homes. In such a situation, law enforcing agencies are taking legal action against the violators of lockdown and unlawful migrants.
Several hundreds of migrants moving into and around Jalan Mosque India, Munshi Abdullah Road and Tunku Abdul Rahman Road in Kuala Lumpur were forcibly presented of their houses and separated keeping them waiting in queues. Later, those that had visas were freed and the ones whose visas expired were detained.
A lot of the migrant employees got infected with coronavirus from those areas.
Malaysia's Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government has a right to take action against immigrants living illegally in the united states without valid documents, reports New Straits Times on Sunday.
The minister was responding to criticism by NGOs, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia over the arrests of unlawful immigrants in metropolis during the pandemic.
Malaysia, said Ismail Sabri, is a sovereign country which has its sets of laws to protect the nation and ensure the wellbeing of the people.
He announced that the federal government will place all illegal immigrants at immigration detention centres.
Ismail Sabri also said they may also be sent to the 11 special prisons.
Malaysia's immigration department, Kuala Lumpur and Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysia's Armed Forces, Health Ministry, Malaysia's Civil Defence Force and Malaysia's Volunteers Department have been jointly conducting drives against the illegitimate migrants. Raids have still been going on, but it cannot be known just how many have been arrested so far.
