137 suspected labour exploitation victims, including children, rescued

A total of 137 suspected labour exploitation victims, including children were rescued under Op Pintas Mega from January to June.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants principal assistant director Soffian Santong said 35 victims were Myanmar nationals, Thai (25), Indonesian (23), Bangladeshi (17), Filipino (nine), Malaysian (eight), five Cambodians, Vietnamese and Chinese each, and two Nepali along with three ethnic Rohingya.

Some 398 individuals were arrested in the operation, he added.

Soffian said the operation this year was conducted nationwide in two phases, with 42 raids and 285 arrests in the first phase in January.

“In the first phase, 64 victims were rescued, comprising 12 men, 22 women, 10 boys and 20 girls,” he said.

Soffian said the second phase in June had 33 raids with 113 arrests and a total of 73 individuals - 25 men, 26 women and 22 boys - were rescued.

The joint operation involved the Immigration Department, the Labour Department, the Environment Department, Tenaga Nasional Berhad and local authorities.

The operation targeted factories, plantations, the fisheries and services sectors as well as beggars.

He said the police would never compromise with human trafficking and would take legal action, including under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.

- Bernama

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