Sarawak to launch ‘Ops Jala’ to prevent entry of illegal immigrants

KUCHING, Dec 22 -- The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) plans to launch an operation to be known as ‘Ops Jala’ in the near future to further strengthen control over the entry of illegal immigrants into the state.

Its chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said that the decision was made at the committee meeting today which had discussed in detail the threats that could be brought by these illegal immigrants who did not go through the COVID-19 screening process.

“We will announce the details soon. This shows our determination to ensure Sarawak continued to be protected,” he said in a daily COVID-19 press conference here.

He said that concerns regarding the presence of illegal immigrants arose following the incident of four female foreign immigrants in Sibu who tested positive for COVID-19 and fled by bus recently. However, they were arrested near Entikong, near the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Tebedu, about 100km from here.

Uggah, who is also Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, said that the state JPBN had also decided to further expand screening activities at factories, plantations and construction sites as a measure to control the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in the state.

Meanwhile, he also announced that karaoke premises in the shopping complexes will allowed to resume operations effective tomorrow after the state Ministry of Local Government and Housing refined the guidelines for the reopening of such premises which exclude KTV karaoke, nightclubs, pubs and bistros.

--BERNAMA