M'SIAN MARINE FORCE STEPS UP GUARD AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

JOHOR BAHARU (Johor, Malaysia), June 3 (Bernama) -- The Region Two Marine
Operations Force is to step up surveillance at river mouths and along the coast
to curb the smuggling of illegal immigrants into the country through "jalan
tikus" or lesser-known routes.

Commander ACP Zainul Abidin Hasan said there were 27 such routes in Johor
state, nine of them in Kota Tinggi district.

"Among the clandestine routes in Kota Tinggi are those in Sungai Rengit,
Tanjung Ayam, Tanjung Siang, Desaru and Punggai," he said at the event where he
took over as commander of the Region Two Marine Operations Force here Friday.

Zainul Abidin, previously the Region One commander, replaces ACP Mohd
Khamsani Abd Rahman who has been transferred to the Federal Police Headquarters
in Bukit Aman.

He said the force would no longer patrol the seas as this was undertaken by
the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

"This year alone, 299 illegal immigrants were arrested in Johor, 230 of them
in the waters off Kota Tinggi," he said.