KOTA BHARU: The General Operations Force (GOF) Tenggara Brigade arrested 296 illegal immigrants during operations dubbed ‘Op Taring Wawasan’ conducted from January to Aug 31 this year.
Its commander Datuk Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid said that among those arrested, 226 were men and the remainder were women.
“All of them, aged 17 to 60, were apprehended after entering the country through an illegal entry point along Sungai Golok near the Malaysia-Thai border.
“The breakdown of nationalities includes 201 Myanmar nationals, 51 from Bangladesh, 24 from Thailand, eight from India, five Rohingyas, four from Indonesia, and three from Pakistan,” he said when contacted today.
Nik Ros Azhan further explained that illegal immigrants who enter the country are typically managed by syndicates that also provide ‘transporters’ to take them to various destinations, including the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
“During the same period, we also detained 21 ‘tekong darat’ (ground coordinators) suspected of managing the entry and travel of illegal immigrants into the country.
“Of these, 17 are locals, three are Myanmar nationals, and one is a Thai national,” he said.
He added that the GOF had identified eight main illegal bases frequently used by syndicates to smuggle illegal immigrants into the country.
“These illegal bases are located in Pasir Mas and Tumpat, including Gergaji, Tanjung, Jeram Perdah 1, Jeram 2, Jeram 3, Lubuk Gong, and Tok Awang Belulang.
“Typically, illegal immigrants enter the country by boat at night or early in the morning to avoid detection. However, with continuous patrols and intelligence efforts by GOF personnel, these attempts are still being detected,” he said.
