Twenty illegal immigrants from four countries were detained in two separate operations by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Kelantan recently.
The suspects, comprising nationals from India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Myanmar, were detained along the banks of the Kelantan River in Kota Bharu and Pasir Mas. They were aged between 23 and 50.
MMEA Kelantan director Maritime Captain Kamal Mohamad said the foreigners were believed to have entered Malaysia illegally before being transported through the Kelantan River.
He said the first operation was carried out behind Pelangi Mall in Kota Bharu, where enforcement personnel intercepted four men comprising three Indian nationals and one Sri Lankan.
“The MMEA Ground Operations Team was deployed to the Kelantan Riverbank in the area to intercept the movement of a boat,” he said during a press conference at the MMEA Kelantan headquarters in Tok Bali today.
Kamal said three of the four detainees had passports but failed to produce valid travel records proving their legal entry into Malaysia.
The second operation was conducted near the Kelantan River waters in the Tendong area of Pasir Mas, resulting in the detention of 16 Indonesian and Myanmar nationals.
According to Kamal, the boat transporting the group managed to escape after dropping the illegal immigrants off along the riverbank.
“Investigations found that 10 of the detainees had passports but could not produce valid travel records, while the remaining six had no identification documents,” he said.
He said preliminary investigations indicated that the smugglers used a similar modus operandi to bring illegal immigrants into the country by navigating narrow and shallow sections of the river.
The authorities are continuing investigations to identify those responsible for transporting the foreigners, while all 20 detainees are being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The operations also highlight the challenges faced by enforcement agencies in monitoring Malaysia’s river routes, particularly areas that can provide access through narrow and shallow waterways.
