600 Malaysian officers transferred for smuggling Bangladeshis

The Malaysian authorities transferred some 600 immigration staffers out of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) station.

Some of them, The Star newspaper reported on Saturday, were suspected of being involved in the smuggling of Bangladeshis.

Five people, including two immigration personnel, have also been arrested in connection with the smuggling of Bangladeshi nationals at the airport, said another report by The Star on Friday.

The newspaper quoted deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as saying that only a handful was involved with syndicates that used their “immigration friends” to bring in more Bangladeshis into their country.

He, however, did not reveal the actual number of those transferred because of their suspected involvement with the syndicates.

“We will not tolerate this violation of law as it involves national security. Anyone who breaches this, be it government officers or civilians, will be severely dealt with,” the minister told reporters on Friday after chairing a meeting of the committee on foreign workers and illegal immigrants.

According to reports, four syndicates were behind the smuggling of Bangladeshi workers into the country via the airport.