Foreign workers scramble in panic as immigration team arrives

At 7pm on Thursday, immigration officers conducted a raid targeting timber factories, glove factories, and food courts in Bercham and Kanthan, Chemor. The operation aimed to apprehend foreign workers who were believed to be in the country without proper documentation or valid permits.

Foreign workers at a door factory near the location were left in panic as the immigration team arrived. Some of the workers suffered minor injuries while attempting to hide or flee the scene. To avoid detection, several foreigners sought refuge between high-stacked wooden boards, amongst industrial waste bins, and within wardrobes, resulting in torn clothes and a disheveled appearance.

Others tried to scale the factory compound walls, but their efforts were thwarted as the walls were too high and reinforced with barbed wire. The immigration director-general, Zakaria Shaaban, disclosed that the operation targeted timber factories, glove factories, and food courts. An inspection was conducted on 305 workers, of which 175 were detained on suspicion of immigration offenses.

The majority of the detained workers were from Bangladesh, along with nationals from Myanmar and Vietnam. Most of these workers had committed primary offenses, including being undocumented, lacking valid permits, and engaging in employment. Some cases also involved the use of fake temporary employment visit passes.