LABUAN -- Illegal immigrants who turned entrepreneurs overnight have made major cities in the country centres for imitation goods, according to the Immigration Department.
Its director-general, Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, said the issue must be addressed effectively as the open sale of imitation goods reflected a poor image and embarrassment for the country.
The immigrants who occupied premises where they conducted their business had been found to have not complied with the by-laws of the local councils from the aspect of cleanliness, nature of business and renovation.
"I was with the Kuala Lumpur mayor recently on a recent inspection of business premises and we found premises illegally renovated for many types of business, including a small room equipped with a single bed for prostitution purposes," he said.
Mustafar said there was a need to intensify operations, along with the local councils, to stamp out these illegal activities that were social ills.
He also referred to the settlements of foreign workers where the occupants did not observe proper sanitation and there was poor drainage and no compliance with dumping ground rules.
"There have been numerous public complaints about this situation. Of course, we don't act on complaints only but take proactive measures to resolve this," he said.
Mustafar said the presence of immigrants in business had caused an unpleasant situation for the local traders.
He also said that a total of 8,456 operations were conducted nationwide between Jan 1 and July 27, whereby 103,529 people were checked and 25,152 illegal immigrants and 656 employers (who hired and harboured illegal immigrants) were arrested.
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