IMMIGRATION DETECTS ATTEMPTS TO BRING IN BANGLADESHI WORKERS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- The Immigration Department said Monday it has detected attempts to bring in the 55,000 Bangladeshi workers whose applications for visas to enter Malaysia were revoked last year.

Its director-general, Abdul Rahman Othman, said there had been an
increase in the number of Bangladesh nationals flying to the country since early
this year.

"We suspected the reason for their coming here and, after investigation, it
was found that they had come to work. As such, between January and June this
year, 3,812 Bangladesh nationals were denied entry," he told reporters at the
department.

Abdul Rahman said many of them said they came as tourists but carried too
much clothing as well as rice cookers and cooking utensils, indicating that they
wanted to stay longer.

Replying to a question, he said he could not link their coming here with any
syndicate. The visas of the 55,000 Bangladeshi workers were revoked after the
government felt that workers were only needed in critical sectors.

He also said that between January and June this year, the department had
also revoked the entry of 812 Indian nationals, 295 Nigerian nationals, 361
Pakistani nationals and 112 Vietnamese nationals for the same reason.

He said all of them returned to their home countries at their own expense.

-- BERNAMA