MIRI – The Malaysian army has arrested eight irregular migrants with air rifles and machetes after they had crossed into the country’s territory at the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.
The group was detected in an oil palm plantation at an area called Kandaie in southern Sarawak’s Lundu district.
According to the army’s First Division Infantry Unit in Sarawak, the Indonesians, aged 17 to 43, were caught just 50m from the Kalimantan boundary. One of the eight was a woman.
“Five of them were inside a multi-purpose vehicle together with a driver, while two were on motorcycles,” said a statement from the army,
“All are Indonesians without entry permits and travel documents. Two air rifles and a few machetes were found in their possession.”
The army said the group is believed to have entered Sarawak without documentation for work.
All eight have been detained, and their vehicles and weapons have been seized together with their personal items, it added.
The Sarawak-Kalimantan border measures about 1,000km in length from south to north.
There are many access points along the boundary used by unauthorised migrants to enter from Kalimantan. Many come to work in the plantations in the vast interior of Sarawak. – The Vibes, April 12, 2022
