KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign workers made idle by the Movement Control Order (MCO) have been sneaking towards border areas and international entry/exit points in Malaysia in an attempt to return to their home countries.
The Royal Malaysia Police Force (PDRM) is monitoring the situation, as large movements of people and mass gatherings are not permitted during the MCO and may worsen the Covid-19 pandemic.
The PDRM will therefore further tighten security at jetties and ports nationwide, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador, who added that several foreign migrants have already been detained for attempting to sneak out of the country.
“We arrested five men and a woman, from Bangladesh and Myanmar, trying to enter Padang Besar, Perlis between March 19 and March 23, during the MCO.
“Based on this trend (of foreign workers attempting to sneak out of the country), we are monitoring jetties near the borders… to limit the spread of Covid-19,” he told a special press conference in Bukit Aman here, Bernama reported.
Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers in Malaysia have been left temporarily unemployed by the MCO, which mandates the shutdown of all but essential services.