Alor Star prison placed under targeted EMCO

PETALING JAYA: A targeted enhanced movement control order (Temco) has been imposed on the Alor Star prison in Kedah, following a spike in Covid-19 cases.

“Taking this into account, the government, on the advice of the Health Ministry, has imposed the Temco administratively in the prisons, including staff quarters for 14 days.

“This will be effective from 12.01am tonight,” Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement yesterday.

“During this period, any movement in and out of the areas involved will not be allowed and visits from detainee families will be put on hold.”

A total of 433 individuals were arrested yesterday for violating the recovery movement control order.

“Sixty were remanded while the remaining 345 were issued compounds and 28 were released on bail,” Ismail Sabri said.

The offences committed were not wearing face masks (157), ignoring social distancing (46), failing to provide equipment for contact tracing registration (49), attending nightclub and pub activities (126), gambling activities (36), employing foreign workers without proper permits (18) and entering the country without documents (one) .

He said 2,175 teams, under the compliance task force, conducted checks at 12,572 premises including supermarkets, restaurants, hawker stalls, factories, banks, government based offices and land, water and air transport terminals.

“Ops Benteng”, that involved the Armed Forces, police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Malaysian Border Security Agency, arrested a total of 76 illegal immigrants and a smuggler.

A total of 27 illegal immigrants were detained by the Malaysian Royal Armoured Corps for not having valid identification documents as well as for attempting to leave Malaysia through an ungazetted road near Hotel Tiara in Desaru, Bandar Penawar in Johor.