40PC OF KLIA IMMIGRATION STAFF MOVED
D-G’s quick action praised by DPM
ABOUT 40 per cent of the 1,500 Immigration Department staff at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) are being transferred.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said job rotation of staff at the Immigration counters was also done as part of proactive action taken to clear the image of the Immigration Department that had been tainted by some of its staff.
Zahid praised the swift and firm action by Immigration directorgeneral Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, as well as for his efforts in monitoring enforcement and implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to restore the image of the department.
“Those who tarnished the image of the Immigration Department by conspiring with the syndicates will be removed.
“We hope that what the Immigration director-general is doing will give a clear indication that the government is serious about addressing the problem,” Zahid said after chairing a Cabinet Committee Meeting on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants here yesterday.
On Dec 7, Harian Metro revealed that illegal workers from Bangladesh were being smuggled into the country through KLIA on a daily basis, masterminded by four big syndicates in Dhaka.
It is believed that the syndicates earned RM5.2 million a year by charging between RM15,000 and RM20,000 per person, and bribing the authorities, such as officers from the Immigration Department and the Malaysian embassy in Dhaka.
Mustafar had said the officers would face stern action, including being suspended or sacked, if found guilty.
Yesterday, he said not all of the officers who were transferred were involved with the syndicate.
He said some of them had applied to be transferred, and some had already been nominated in the rotation system.
“It is just a normal procedure.” Zahid stressed that the government would not compromise and would take legal and internal action against the individuals involved in the smuggling activities.
“I congratulate the officers and staff of the Immigration Department who are not involved in these syndicates and are doing a great job,” he said.
In a related development, Zahid said four Immigration officers and three individuals had been detained to assist investigations into the smuggling racket.
“The trio include a husband and wife. The husband is a foreigner while the wife is a local.
“The Immigration Department yesterday arrested another suspect, who is a foreigner. We believe they are from a syndicate that masterminded the smuggling of Bangladeshis into the country. The arrest was done in collaboration with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the police.”
The four officers were detained for allegedly helping Bangladeshis to enter the country illegally through KLIA.