PUTRAJAYA MAY 26: The government has decided to send back all illegal immigrants who are negative COVID-19 to their home countries with the assistance of the foreign ministries and the embassies.
Security and Senior Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been assigned to discuss with their counterparts and the related foreign embassies to bring back their citizens to the respective countries.
“All the illegal immigrants detained at the three immigration depots namely in Bukit Jalil, Semenyih and KLIA, Sepang and other depots in Malaysia will be sent back after undergoing swab tests.
“If the COVID-19 cases rise drastically in the depots, the detainees will be sent to the Quarantine and COVID-19 Treatment Centre in MAEPS, Leprosy Hospital in Sungai Buloh and the Old Maternity Ward Building in Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
“These treatment centres have the capacity to accomodate 1,430 patients,” Ismail said in his daily press conference held here today.
The senior minister also reported that a new cluster of COVID-19 has been formed at a building construction site in Kuala Lumpur after 44 out of 400 workers have been detected with corona virus.
“The workers were detected with positive COVID-19 after the contractor sent them for swab tests before resuming work at the site. They were sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital while the workers’ close contact had been quarantined.
“The Health Department of Federal Territories, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya had directed the construction site and the workers’ house to be closed,” Ismail said.
According to Ismail, seven construction sites have been directed to close down while 4,292 sites have not resumed operations.
However, 27,383 construction workers have been screened for COVID-19 by their employers and out of that 172 were detected positive and only eight involved the local people.
Responding to comments on the Malaysian government detaining illegal immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ismail said, there is no legal issue arising from the government’s action.
He said, there is no country in the world that allows illegal immigrant to walk freely but to detain them.
“The government detained the illegal immigrants for the safety of the people. There is no way illegal immigrants will be allowed to stay in a country for human rights reason.
If they have COVID-19, the virus will spread to the local people,” Ismail reiterated.
He said, the human rights organisation should thank the Malaysian government as detainees undergo swab tests and those detected with COVID-19 have been taken to the hospitals for treatment. –Malaysia World News
