Undocumented Immigrants Paid RM6,000 to Enter Malaysia

Undocumented immigrants apprehended during a recent operation in Kajang, Malaysia, revealed they paid substantial sums to smuggling syndicates for illegal entry into the country. The operation, conducted by the Malaysian Immigration Department and the National Registration Department, led to the detention of 248 foreign nationals out of 330 inspected.

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I paid around RM6,000 for our family to come to Malaysia. My husband handled everything, paying the person from Thailand who brought us from Myanmar to Langkawi waters.

A married couple from Myanmar shared their experience, stating they paid RM6,000 to smuggle their family of four into Malaysia. They utilized sea routes and enlisted the help of a Thai smuggler. The wife, 37, explained that her husband handled the payment to the individual who facilitated their journey from Myanmar to Malaysian waters.

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We entered Malaysia illegally by boat before settling in the country. Our family has been in Malaysia for about one and a half years after entering using a boat.

The couple's entry was not simultaneous; the husband and their 14-year-old son arrived first, followed later by the wife and their seven-year-old daughter. They entered Malaysia illegally via boat near Langkawi and have been residing in the country for approximately 18 months. Currently, they are seeking refugee status with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

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Now we are still trying to obtain refugee status with the UNHCR.

Meanwhile, another Myanmar national, a 24-year-old woman, reported paying RM3,000 to a Malaysian man believed to be a land smuggler. She entered Malaysia through an unofficial route near Sungai Golok in Kelantan, subsequently traveling by car. She has been in Malaysia for about five months and works in a factory in the Kajang area.

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I paid RM3,000 to a Malaysian man who is believed to be a land smuggler to bring me into the country through a rat trail.