A 38-year-old Sri Lankan man has been arrested by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) for allegedly exploiting a fellow Sri Lankan woman through forced labour during an operation in Jenjarom, Selangor.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the suspect was detained on Tuesday following a public tip-off and intelligence gathered by the department’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) and AMLA enforcement units.
The operation, carried out at three locations, also led to the rescue of a Sri Lankan woman believed to be a victim of labour exploitation.
Initial investigations found that the victim was allegedly lured to Malaysia with promises of employment and a work permit before being made to work at a food premises owned by the suspect.
According to Zakaria, the woman was allegedly forced to work without receiving any wages, denied sufficient food, had her movements restricted and was subjected to physical abuse as a form of intimidation.
Authorities also arrested six other Sri Lankan nationals, aged between 21 and 51, for allegedly staying in Malaysia without valid travel documents or immigration passes.
The rescued woman was identified as a potential trafficking victim based on the National Guidelines on Human Trafficking Indicators 2.0 (NGHTI 2.0). An application for an Interim Protection Order (IPO) has also been submitted under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM).
Investigations revealed that the suspect was staying in Malaysia under a Long-Term Social Visit Pass obtained through marriage to a Malaysian citizen. He is being investigated under Section 12 of the ATIPSOM Act as well as the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Zakaria stressed that the Immigration Department will not tolerate any form of labour exploitation or human trafficking and warned that firm action will be taken against those involved.
