'Tekong darat' are traitors - Perlis police chief

KANGAR: Tekong darat (ground handlers of smuggling activities) who are responsible for sneaking in illegal immigrants into the country can be considered as traitors, said Perlis police chief Datuk Surina Saad.

She said that based on police intelligence, the ground handlers, who mostly consist of locals, would charge a fee of between RM1,000 and RM2,000 per person for their service.

"Since the opening of the country's border on April 1 to May 19, a total of 114 illegal immigrants have been detained, including 94 Myanmar nationals, Indonesia (one) and Thailand (six). Also detained were three ltekong darat, all locals," she told Bernama recently.

Surina said the modus operandi of the syndicate was for to sneak in the illegal immigrants through the Thailand-Malaysia border, with another tekong darat waiting to receive them and to send them to other destinations in the country.

She said those involved in the smuggling of migrants into the country can be charged under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) 2017, which carries a jail term of not more than 15 years, or a fine or both, upon conviction.

Hence, Surina urged the public, including e-hailing drivers, not to assist illegal immigrants by providing shelter and protecting them as well as driving them from the border to their respective destinations.

-- BERNAMA