A mechanism and system will be established to monitor the status of each foreigner in the country from the time they enter the country and leave, said Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said enforcement should be under a comprehensive monitoring mechanism which could only be set up if there was a integrated information system.

bagan pinang by election nomination 031009 hishammuddin hussein "We are studying to improve the current information system to enable the checking of the status of a foreigner at any time and at any place.

"Our purpose is to check on the whereabouts of a foreigner who is not having legal status so that the person would be worried and concerned enough to leave the country quickly," he said in a statement today.

Hishammuddin ( left ), who saw for himself the large number of foreigners in the federal capital during the Chinese New Year holidays, said the proposal to have the mechanism will be tabled at the cabinet committee on foreign workers and illegal immigrants meeting which will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Feb 22.

"Taking into account that the issue of foreigners involves various ministries and agencies it is necessary that the proposal be tabled at the cabinet committee level that involves 13 ministries," he said.

Employers to assist

Hishammuddin said improvement in the management and monitoring of foreigners through a new strategy was needed in line with the current scenario where the movement foreign workers in and out of the country was difficult to detect through conventional means.

As an example, he said although enforcement involved various agencies from time to time, it still could not fully deter the entry of illegal immigrants.

bangladesh foreign workers migrants 030108 As many as 7,099 operations had been conducted by the Immigration Department throughout the country last year and 47,310 detentions were made.

"This involved 26,545 cases of illegal entry; 8,655 cases of overstaying after the visit pass or permit had lapsed; 6,836 cases of flouting pass or permit conditions or having fake permits; and the rest were for other offences," he said.

Besides that, he said employers who hired foreign workers would also be roped in to help out as they played an important role in ensuring an effective improvement in the management and monitoring of foreigners.

– Bernama