Malaysia Sends Back 157 Migrants Including Bangladeshis, All Blacklisted from Re-entry
The Malaysian government has sent 157 migrants back to their own countries, including Bangladeshis. The repatriation was carried out as part of a continuing campaign of raids and deportations against undocumented migration. To prevent re-entry, everyone sent back has been blacklisted.
On Wednesday (21 October), the migrants held at the Belantik immigration detention centre in Kedah state were sent home through Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Bangladeshis were among those repatriated, though it was not known how many.
According to the Kedah state branch of Malaysia's Immigration Department (JIM), the 157 people sent back included 128 men, 26 women and three boys.
They were citizens of China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Sudan, Australia, Nigeria, Vietnam and Myanmar — meaning this single round of repatriation covered nationals of nine countries.
The migrants had been held at the Belantik immigration detention centre in the Sik area of Kedah state, from where arrangements were made to take them to the airport.
They were sent home after completing their sentences under Malaysia's Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963 — in other words, the deportation was carried out only after the legal process had run its course.
The entire repatriation operation was conducted by 21 officers of the Kedah Immigration Department, led by the officer in charge of the Belantik detention centre.
The Immigration Department said the airfare for the repatriation was borne by the detainees themselves, their family members and their respective countries' embassies. The Malaysian government did not bear the cost of the flights.
To prevent those sent back from entering Malaysia again, they have been blacklisted in the Immigration Department's system. The ban will remain in force under the applicable laws and regulations, so they will not be able to enter Malaysia again during the specified period.
The Kedah Immigration Department said operations against undocumented migrants — raids, surveillance, detention, legal action and repatriation — will continue.
According to the department, these steps are being taken to protect Malaysia's security, public order and sovereignty, which means further repatriations of this kind remain likely.
Malaysia is one of the biggest destinations for Bangladeshi workers. While this news does not directly affect those who travelled legally, the incident is another reminder of how large the risk of irregular migration is — detention, a sentence, blacklisting and finally a return home empty-handed.
