Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun was surprised to receive information about an illegal settlement inhabited by foreigners and described the discovery as a serious matter that should not happen in Negeri Sembilan.
According to a report by Harian Metro, he asked how the settlement could have existed for so long without being detected.
"The state government takes this matter seriously. Immediate action needs to be taken by various parties to ensure that there are no more settlements like this.
"If there is an operational school and there are small children, it means that the settlement may have existed for a long time. We don't want any more villages like this because it will be difficult for us to act or move them," he told reporters in Senawang.
This came after a multi-agency Immigration Department-led raid at a migrant settlement in Nilai Spring yesterday saw the arrests and detention of 67 undocumented migrants, including a 72-year-old and a two-month-old baby.
Of those arrested, Malaysiakini understands there were school-aged children being prepared for integration with the Indonesian national school system once they returned home permanently.
Jakarta-based NGO Migrant Care said the children from East Nusa Tenggara were being taught in a makeshift learning centre, which started last April, partly supported by the Indonesian government that provided the teaching syllabus.
No compromise
Aminuddin said he would not compromise on the matter because the discovery of illegal settlements such as these could affect the security of the state and the people.
"I will call all relevant parties in the state security council for a meeting in the near future.
"We will ask the relevant parties to look into this matter so that things like this do not happen again in the future. The security of the state and our people cannot be compromised," he said.
He said his party will also get information about the status of the land involved from the relevant authorities.
"So far, the status of the settlement land is not certain. I need to check with the relevant parties," Aminuddin said.
Apart from the school, the illegal settlement is believed to have several other facilities, including a grocery store.
The illegal village which is located about 1.2km from the main road was raided by state authorities led by the Negeri Sembilan Malaysian Immigration Department at about 1.30am yesterday.
All arrested are being detained at the Lenggeng Immigration Depot pending a probe under immigration laws for entering and staying in the country without a valid permit, according to Negeri Sembilan Immigration director Kennith Tan.
Tan, in a statement, said those arrested comprised 11 men, 20 women, 20 boys and 16 girls, all from Indonesia. Authorities also recovered sharp objects, including spears and machetes.
"The illegal village has an area of approximately 0.6ha or the size of three football fields surrounded by thick forest with a red dirt road.
"They were found to be using generators for electricity supply and there are around 30 wooden houses with cement floors and one roofed waqf believed to be used as meeting places or other activities among the residents.
"Each unit of the house is located close to each other, but the duration of the existence of this settlement has not been identified and is likely to be more than a year. It is still under our investigation.
"If you look at the area of the settlement, it can be occupied by around 80 to 100 residents," he said. - Mkini
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