Dozens of undocumented immigrant landing spots identified in Kelantan
Intelligence and Special Operations director Basri Othman said there were about 50 landing spots detected including in Rantau Panjang, Tanjung Bunga and Pengkalan Kubor.
KOTA BHARU - The Malaysian Immigration Department has identified the existence of dozens of hotspots serving as landing points for undocumented immigrants in and around Kelantan.
Its Intelligence and Special Operations director Basri Othman said there were about 50 landing spots detected including in Rantau Panjang, Tanjung Bunga and Pengkalan Kubor.
"The suspected syndicates have informants or spies among the local residents and this is one of the challenges faced by the department in our effort to identify the individuals involved.
"Informants are paid to report any suspicious movements. Some of them disguise themselves by hanging out at coffee shops or street corners.
"If there is any suspected movement, they immediately report it in their respective WhatsApp groups," he said.
He said that the geographical factor and distance made it easier for syndicates to manage the undocumented migrants.
"Upon receiving intel from informants, the syndicate can promptly alter their activities.
"When they received the information, the skippers will relocate the migrants to a different destination," he said.
He added that the department was always cooperating with authorities in neighbouring countries to combat such crimes.
