Illegal immigrants face new Act, two charged in Shah Alam today

comments     Yap Mun Ching     Published     Updated

The Immigration Department has started filing charges against illegal immigrants under amended provisions in the Immigration Act today, nine days after the new rules came into effect.

According to Immigration Department public relations officer Ahmad Shukri Abdul Majid, two persons were charged at the Shah Alam magistrates' court today by the Selangor Immigration Office.

However, he did not reveal further details of the charges or the nationalities of the individuals.

The two are among more than 700 illegal immigrants who have been arrested by police as the amended Immigration Act came into force on Aug 1, following the expiry of an amnesty period for illegals to leave the country.

It is expected that more charges will be filed against the rest in the coming days.

Under new provisions of the law, illegal immigrants convicted of an offence will be liable to a maximum fine of RM10,000, maximum jail term of five years, and up to six strokes of the rotan.

Meanwhile, Burmese activist Ghiyathudeen said a Burmese Rohingya asylum seeker will be charged under the same Act at the Kuala Lumpur magistrates' court next Monday.

Syed Ahmad, a 44-year-old Rohingya man was arrested by police during an Aug 2 raid and is currently detained at the Cheras district police headquarters.

"Syed had approached the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for recognition as a refugee in 1999 but did not go for his interview. He has been rescheduled recently for an interview this month," said Ghiyathudeen.

Three refugees detained

Contacted later, UNHCR Protection Officer Shinji Kubo said three of the refugee agency's mandated refugees two Achenese and one Burmese Chin were arrested during police operations over the past week.

"One refugee was arrested on Aug 1 when he brought his family members to be documented. Another two persons were arrested on different days," he said.

A group of undocumented immigrants claiming to be asylum seekers were arrested last week while waiting outside the UNHCR compound in Kuala Lumpur. The 93 Acehnese and 32 Burmese asylum seekers were later sent to the Langkap detention camp in Perak and the Machap Umboo camp in Melaka to await deportation.

In relation to this, Kubo said the UNHCR has been given permission by the Immigration Department to visit the detainees in the two camps to ascertain if they want to apply for asylum status.

Screening on Monday

"We are going to start screening work on Monday in the camps. The asylum seekers will be interviewed at the camps," said the UN official.

Kubo also said that based on earlier discussions, Immigration Department officials have agreed not to charge asylum seekers under the new Immigration Act provisions pending a decision by the refugee agency.

"We are confident that the [Malaysian] government is aware of the need to be careful when dealing with asylum seekers. The government will be heavily criticised if they impose the new rulings on these people after knowing their status," he added.

The implementation of the strict immigration laws have caused fear among asylum seekers in Malaysia, who are mainly of Acehnese and Burmese origins.

The Star newspaper reported today that two Burmese men drowned in a disused mining pool while trying to evade capture during a police raid at the Selayang wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur.

Large numbers of asylum seekers have claimed they are unable to return to their home countries because of ethnic and religious persecution by military officials.



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