PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department has no plans to ramp up enforcement at entry points despite their recent bust of foreigners treating Malaysia as a hub to house their online gambling syndicate.
Its Deputy Director General (Operations) Jafri Embok Taha said the department cannot take actions against foreigners at entry points without evidence.
At a press conference explaining their recent special operation to dismantle the syndicate involving Chinese nationals who entered Malaysia through social visit passes multiple times, he said, without evidence, they would only assume them as tourists.
"When they enter our country through social visit passes, we cannot associate them with any wrong doing without evidence.
"If there's no evidence, we won't be taking action," he told the media when asked by reporters if the Immigration Department had any efforts to ramp up enforcement.
Yesterday, the Immigration Department busted an extensive online gambling syndicate masterminded by Chinese nationals who treat Malaysia as its central hub for illegal activities.
Jafri said the syndicate is believed to have been operating for six months, generating approximately RM100,000 per day and up to RM3 million per month.
They have detained a 39-year-old Chinese male believed to be the syndicate's leader and eight Chinese males aged between 25 to 39, who were acting as online gambling operators.
Seven of those detained possessed social visit passes, and two held special passes to stay in the country.
"They are not trafficking victims. They intentionally come to Malaysia for this syndicate and they would enter Malaysia multiple times through the social visit passes," said Jafri in a press conference today.
The New Straits Times had also previously in November last year highlighted that human traffickers were abusing social visit passes to bring in foreigners seeking jobs in the country, only to then entrap them in appalling work conditions.
The foreigners would be flown in by these criminal syndicates and enter the country legally on these passes that do not entitle them to work.