The hopes of 13 Myanmar nationals, including two young children, to enter Malaysia illegally in search of work in the Klang Valley were dashed after they were detained by the General Operations Force (PGA) during Op Taring Wawasan on Sunday.
The group, comprising three men, eight women and two children aged between three and 35, was arrested during a raid at a palm oil plantation along Jalan Kampung Wakaf Zin in Ayer Lanas at about 7.10pm.
Southeast Brigade PGA commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Radzi Hussain said the operation was launched following intelligence and information regarding the movement of a group of undocumented migrants in the area.
Acting on the information, personnel from the Intelligence Branch of the 7th Battalion PGA Kuantan, assisted by officers from the 8th Battalion PGA Pengkalan Chepa and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Jeli District Police Headquarters, moved to the location.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the group behaving suspiciously before approaching and identifying themselves as police personnel.
“Officers requested identification documents from the individuals, but none of them were able to produce valid travel documents or identification papers,” Ahmad Radzi said on Monday.
Preliminary investigations revealed that all 13 individuals admitted entering Malaysia through an illegal entry point in the Wakaf Zin area of Ayer Lanas after arriving by boat in the early hours of the same day.
Further questioning found that the group had allegedly used the services of a Myanmar agent known as “Turwia”, paying RM3,500 per person to facilitate their entry into the country.
Authorities also learned that the migrants intended to travel to the Klang Valley, where they planned to seek employment as factory workers and general labourers.
Following their arrest, all detainees were taken to the Jeli District Police Headquarters for further action. The male migrants were placed in the Jeli police lock-up, while the women and children were detained at the Kuala Balah police station lock-up.
The case is being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering Malaysia without valid travel documents.
The latest arrest highlights continued enforcement efforts along Malaysia’s northern border as authorities work to curb illegal immigration and dismantle cross-border smuggling networks operating through unauthorised entry points.
