KLIA immigration detained a group of foreigners avoiding inspection
The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) continues to monitor the activities of foreigners evading inspections at Terminal 1, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
In a recent video posted by the KLIA Immigration Department on TikTok on Tuesday, it was revealed that a group of foreigners employed a new modus operandi by congregating in a fast food outlet for over 24 hours to evade inspections at the international arrival hall.
Suresh Nadarajah, Deputy Head of Operations Control at Terminal 1 KLIA, stated that upon disembarking the aircraft, they should have proceeded directly to the check-in desk.
“They were congregating in a fast food establishment and a public seating area, thus we are detaining them for investigation,” he stated.
The inspection video revealed that several foreigners bought beverages at the restaurant and stayed there for two days.
He stated that his department performed visa verifications prior to their isolation based on flight information.
“The Terminal Operations Control will issue a notice of entry denial, and the foreign national will be repatriated to their country of origin,” he stated.
Recently, Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban announced the establishment of a monitoring team by the Immigration Department to identify travellers who delay at the agency’s inspection counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), effectively preventing multiple attempts to enter Malaysia through the ‘counter setting’ method.
He stated that the crew was tasked with monitoring the passenger arrival area throughout the clock and would conduct extensive inspections of foreigners, particularly those from Bangladesh and Myanmar, who were regarded as suspects.
He elucidated that investigations revealed certain foreigners failed to approach the inspection counter despite having arrived an extended period prior, ostensibly awaiting a signal from the ‘countersetting’ syndicate; if the entry process is deemed suspicious, they will be promptly deported from the country.
Zakaria disclosed that upon arrival, this cohort of foreigners typically ‘lingers,’ loiters, or rests for an extended duration, with some individuals taking up to seven hours before approaching the immigration counter, presumably awaiting a signal from members of the ‘counter setting’ syndicate.
Sinar Harian stated on September 18 that 50 law enforcement agents were accused of cooperating with a syndicate that facilitated the entry of foreigners via the country’s airports using the ‘counter setting’ or ‘special counter route’ modus operandi.
Alongside law enforcement officers from two agencies apprehended in Op Pump, the MACC also detained 10 syndicate operatives related to this ‘countersetting’ case.