Illegals claim threatened with pistol to cross border

[Sauron]

Published: Sunday October 17, 2010 MYT 12:52:00 PM

Illegals claim threatened with pistol to cross border

PADANG BESAR: A group of illegal immigrants who were arrested by the Anti-Smuggling Unit at a sugarcane farm in Chuping, near here claimed that syndicate members had threatened them with pistols if they refused to cross the border to Malaysia. Perlis police chief Datuk Ghazali Md Amin said the group comprising 16 Bangladeshi men, eight Myanmar men, and a Myanmar woman, paid US$1,000 (RM3,100) each to a syndicate operating in Thailand to take them to Malaysia to find jobs.

“They were believed to have crossed the border at about 10pm on Friday and walked their way to the farm area where they were arrested by UPP personnel who were patrolling the vicinity at about 1am,” he told reporters at the Chuping UPP camp Sunday. Ghazali said initial investigation showed that the Bangladeshi men, who were with valid passports, had arrived at the KL International Airport on Oct 13 but were unable to enter the country because they had no visa. They later flew to Phuket, Thailand and from there, the Bangladeshi men were joined by the Myanmar nationals and were transported by pick-up trucks to the Thai-Malaysia border where they were told to walk across to Malaysia.

They claimed that when they refused to do so, syndicate members threatened them with pistols, Ghazali said. He said the Myanmar nationals were victims of human trafficking syndicates operating from their country. All the foreigners, aged between 17 and 37, had been handed over to the Immigration Department for further action. -- Bernama

 

[boba fett]

Illegals forced to cross border at gunpoint


Monday October 18, 2010

Illegals forced to cross border at gunpoint

PADANG BESAR: A group of detained illegal immigrants have claimed that a syndicate threatened them with pistols if they refused to cross the border into Malaysia. The group – 16 Bangladeshi men, eight Myanmar men and a Myanmar woman – paid US$1,000 (RM3,100) each to a Thai syndicate to take them to Malaysia to find jobs.

Syndicate victims?: Ghazali (second from left) talking to the detainees after a press conference at the Anti- Smuggling Unit Camp in Chuping, Padang Besar yesterday. —Bernama

They were believed to have crossed the border at about 10pm on Friday and walked their way to a sugarcane farm where they were spotted by patrolling Anti-Smuggling Unit (UPP) personnel at about 1am. Perlis police chief Datuk Ghazali Md Amin said initial investigations showed that the Bangladeshi men, who had valid passports, arrived at the KL International Airport on Oct 13, but were turned away because they had no visas.

They flew to Phuket in Thailand where they were joined by the Myanmar nationals. The 25 were transported by pick-up trucks to the Thai-Malaysia border where they were told to walk across to Malaysia. Ghazali said the illegals claimed that when they refused to do so, the syndicate members threatened them with pistols. — Bernama