KUANTAN: Authorities today discovered newspaper clippings on the Immigration Department’s planned crackdown against illegal foreign workers pasted at several areas here, including at workers’ hostels.
They are believed to have been put up by illegal foreign workers themselves as a warning to others to lay low during the operation to root out immigrants without E-Cards.
The clippings feature a statement by Immigration Director-General Datuk Mustafar Ali on the nationwide operation to nab illegals following the end of the E-Card registration deadline at midnight on June 30.
Nevertheless, a team of Pahang Immigration officers and personnel carried out raids at several locations here as part of “Operasi Mega” which began at 10am today.
State Immigration Enforcement chief Sayed Abdul Rahman Syed Mahmud said the operation resulted in the arrest of 10 foreigners comprising four Bangladeshis, three Indonesians and three Myanmar.
"We raided locations (suspected of) harbouring many foreigners, based on intelligence.
"Throughout the operation, around 58 foreigners were checked. We found that they knew beforehand about the (operation) because some had read the pasted newspaper clippings," he said.
Sayed Abdul Rahman did not rule out the possibility that a number of illegal foreign workers had fled and gone into hiding before the commencement of the operation.
He was speaking at a press conference at the state Immigration Department's office at Kompleks Kementerian Dalam Negeri Indera Mahkota here this afternoon.