A multi-agency Immigration Department-led raid at a migrant settlement in Nilai Spring, Negeri Sembilan, 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 are 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 are being taught in a makeshift learning centre, which started last April, partly supported by the Indonesian government that provided the teaching syllabus.
Sources told Malaysiakini that the migrants possessed temporary travel documents issued by the Indonesian mission here in lieu of their passports - valid for a year - but their departures were delayed due to loss of jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic and so they lacked funds to purchase their return tickets.
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.
"(After) one month of intelligence gathering, (we) found the settlement which includes a school teaching a syllabus from a neighbouring country (Indonesia) and powered by several units of generators as their electricity source," said Tan.
He said there were migrants who acted aggressively to avoid arrest but their attempts were thwarted by the operation team.
Tan described the migrant settlement as being built on uneven swamp land, surrounded by metal wires and wild dogs that posed a security hazard to officers who walked 1.2km to reach the location.
"The operation was launched based on complaints from the public who are concerned for their safety.
"The Negeri Sembilan Immigration Department is in the process of identifying whether the settlement is built on private land or has it encroached on state land," he said.
A source from the Immigration Department also confirmed it is verifying the validity of the migrants' temporary documents.
When contacted, Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono, said the embassy has been granted consular access to meet the detainees on Feb 7 and would facilitate their return to Indonesia.
Hermono also said priority is given to ensure protection to the rights of child in line with international conventions that Indonesia and Malaysia are both parties to, including in cases of arrests and detention.
"We are worried that these operations can be a traumatic experience for the children," he told Malaysiakini.
"We (embassy) facilitated with the syllabus so the children can continue their education when returning to Indonesia.
"The syllabus is equal with other Indonesian schools in Indonesia," he said on the operations of the makeshift school.
Hermono said discussions with regard to the latest arrests are also ongoing between both governments through the Foreign Ministry in order to find a just solution.
It is understood the matter has also been brought to the attention of Indonesia's Human Rights Commission. - Mkini
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