Azmi dispel doubts of doomsayers
Beh Lih YiPublished: Jul 4, 2005 8:55 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
Civil servants who are to be given powers to detain illegal immigrants will be trained for their enforcement duties when they are recruited.
Civil servants who are to be given powers to detain illegal immigrants will be trained for their enforcement duties when they are recruited.
Dismissing fears expressed in some quarters that the powers might be abused, Home Minister Azmi Khalid said the training programme would prevent this as it covers the "operations model".
"We had to decide between doing something and not doing anything (to tackle the problem of illegal immigrants). It is better for us to do something. Nothing is ideal, nothing is perfect...," he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.
He then quipped: "We won't simply shoot them (the illegal immigrants)."
The government announced the policy move last month, which will involve volunteers from the civil service.
At present, about 1,600 personnel have the power to detain illegal immigrants, including 292 from the auxiliary police unit Rela, 95 from rukun tetangga (neighbourhood watch groups) and civil servants comprising district officers and their deputies or assistants.
Earlier, the minister had explained that additional personnel have to be brought in because of poor response from Rela members - only 292 of the 35,000 personnel are currently involved in enforcement operations against illegal immigrants.
Safety precautions
Today, Azmi disclosed that the government aims to cover more "hot spots", which it has yet to identify.
On the issue of safety among civil servants, he said arms would not be provided to those in this category during operations.
"We will address the (issue of) risk to them. We will look into how to keep them safe. At present, some Rela members are allowed to carry firearms," Azmi said.
Asked if eligibility criteria have been fixed for the civil servants, he replied: "If you are a district officer, that is already a good criterion."
Under the Emergency (Essential Powers) Act 1964 and Essential Rules (Amended) 2005 enforced from Feb 1, the officers can search - without a warrant - houses or premises believed to be the hideouts of illegal immigrants.
They are also empowered to detain and check the documents of Malaysians suspected of hiring and protecting illegal immigrants.
About 400,000 illegal immigrants were deported under the recent amnesty programme, but the authorities believe there are still large numbers working here, including those who have re-entered the country.
Dismissing fears expressed in some quarters that the powers might be abused, Home Minister Azmi Khalid said the training programme would prevent this as it covers the "operations model".
"We had to decide between doing something and not doing anything (to tackle the problem of illegal immigrants). It is better for us to do something. Nothing is ideal, nothing is perfect...," he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.
He then quipped: "We won't simply shoot them (the illegal immigrants)."
The government announced the policy move last month, which will involve volunteers from the civil service.
At present, about 1,600 personnel have the power to detain illegal immigrants, including 292 from the auxiliary police unit Rela, 95 from rukun tetangga (neighbourhood watch groups) and civil servants comprising district officers and their deputies or assistants.
Earlier, the minister had explained that additional personnel have to be brought in because of poor response from Rela members - only 292 of the 35,000 personnel are currently involved in enforcement operations against illegal immigrants.
Safety precautions
Today, Azmi disclosed that the government aims to cover more "hot spots", which it has yet to identify.
On the issue of safety among civil servants, he said arms would not be provided to those in this category during operations.
"We will address the (issue of) risk to them. We will look into how to keep them safe. At present, some Rela members are allowed to carry firearms," Azmi said.
Asked if eligibility criteria have been fixed for the civil servants, he replied: "If you are a district officer, that is already a good criterion."
Under the Emergency (Essential Powers) Act 1964 and Essential Rules (Amended) 2005 enforced from Feb 1, the officers can search - without a warrant - houses or premises believed to be the hideouts of illegal immigrants.
They are also empowered to detain and check the documents of Malaysians suspected of hiring and protecting illegal immigrants.
About 400,000 illegal immigrants were deported under the recent amnesty programme, but the authorities believe there are still large numbers working here, including those who have re-entered the country.
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