Malaysia’s Immigration Department reported that at least 6,200 foreign nationals, including Myanmar migrants, were detained for alleged immigration offences in 1,700 “enforcement operations” conducted nationwide since Jan. 1.
“We will step up inspections at Ramadan bazaars to ensure they are free from illegal immigrant involvement,” Lokman Effendi Ramli, the Immigration deputy director-general of operations, told Malaysian media on Feb. 14.
Approximately 27,000 foreign nationals were inspected during the immigration operations, according to the department.
Ramadan bazaars are seasonal street markets that are typically set up in the days and weeks leading up to the Islamic holy month of fasting, which is expected to begin on Feb. 19 and end on March 18 this year. Employers hire mostly migrant workers during this season.
The immigration department has not released a detailed breakdown of detainees by nationality, but migrants from Myanmar represent the largest group of migrants in Malaysia.
Myanmar nationals account for 189,760 of the 211,360 refugees and asylum-seekers registered in Malaysia with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Lokman Effendi Ramli added that all 6,200 detained for immigration-related offenses have been taken to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Immigration Detention Depot, which is located in Selangor, 50 km (31 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur.
All are being investigated for alleged offences under the Malaysia immigration law, including the lack of valid travel documents, overstaying tourist visas, and misusing work permits.
In December, nearly 1,000 Myanmar nationals were arrested nationwide for alleged immigration violations.
Last February, 530 Myanmar migrants were detained during a raid at the Meru Market Complex in Klang, 18 miles (30 km) southwest of Kuala Lumpur, for alleged immigration offences.
Of the 189,760 refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar, 124,123 are Rohingya, 32,800 Chin and 32,827 from other ethnic groups who are believed to be fleeing conflict or persecution in Myanmar.
The remaining refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia are from 50 countries, including Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria, Sri Lanka, Palestine and Iraq, according to the UNHCR. It adds that 47 percent of those registered are men and 23 percent are women, with 64,801 children under the age of 18.
