KUALA LUMPUR: In this 2024 year-opener of 'Beyond the Headlines', the show dives deep into immigration and the recent crackdown on illegal immigrants by authorities.
This has come as response to complaints and concerns from local residents left feeling "uneasy", who are seeing an influx and increasing presence of foreign workers and immigrants, particularly in areas considered to be hotspots in the Klang Valley and in some other parts of the country too.
The team dissected the issues surrounding the heightened tensions between locals and purportedly, increasingly 'daring' immigrant population that have been reported to authorities for their rude and disrespectful behaviour.
In just the last 2 weeks alone, 3 major immigration raids were conducted in KL, in areas known as pockets for where undocumented immigrants stay.
The New Straits Times reported on what's now dubbed the 'Mini Dhaka' raid in Jalan Silang on Dec 21 that involved over 1,000 members and officers of the General Operations Force (GOF).
Following that was the sweep in Bangsar, at the Abdullah Hukum Apartment where the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department detained 567 undocumented foreign nationals, including a baby, on Dec 30.
The most recent, on Monday, Jan 1, was the raid in Brickfields where more than 100 foreigners were detained in a joint operation organised by the Malaysian Immigration Department.
Sitting in for this week's show were criminologist and senior lecturer, Associate Professor Dr Geshina Ayu Mat Saat from Universiti Sains Malaysia, lawyer and former Immigration Department officer (who served for 25 years) CR Selva Chinniah and North-South Initiative (NSI) non-governmental organisation (NGO) co-founder and executive director, Adrian Pereira.
Following the recent immigration busts by the Malaysian Immigration Department and other agencies, the discussion also raised matters on enforcement and addressed the "elephant in the room" that is perceived to be a longstanding issue in the country's immigration law enforcement.
*This episode of 'Beyond the Headlines' was recorded on Jan 4.