ALOR SETAR: The Malaysian Army through the Malaysian Second Infantry Division Headquarters (2 Divisions) arrested 13 illegal immigrants in an operation at the Malaysia-Thailand border near Bukit Kayu Hitam, Wednesday.
The operation was carried out around the Sixth Malaysian Infantry Brigade Area of Responsibility (KTJ 6 Bgd).
In a statement on Thursday (Jan 9), the Malaysian army said the arrests were made at around 2pm after a team of officers carrying out the operation detected five illegal immigrants who were crossing the river to head to the main road near the Malaysia-Thailand border.
According to the army, the operation team chased and detained all of them and one of the illegal immigrants suffered minor injuries when he fell during an escape attempt.
"The team then managed to arrest eight more illegal immigrants who were hiding in nearby areas, bringing the total number of arrests to 13 people," the army said.
The results of the inspection found that all 13 illegal immigrants consisted of 12 Myanmar nationals and one Thai national.
All arrested did not possess any passports or valid documents.
He said the operation team also confiscated a sum of cash and 14 mobile phones with a total value estimated at more than RM16,000 and all the detained illegal immigrants were handed over to the Bukit Kayu Hitam Police Station for further action.
The army said it remains committed to ensuring security at the country's borders and will not compromise on any cross-border criminal activities and smuggling.
"The operational team will continue to enhance patrol and control at the border to curb cross-border crimes, especially involving illegal immigrants," he said. - Bernama
