Nine undocumented Filipinos were arrested this week as Malaysia intensifies its crackdown on illegal foreign workers, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.
Eight of them were rounded up by Malaysian immigration authorities in Labuan Federal Territory while one was apprehended by immigration authorities in Bintulu, Sarawak on September 3, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing.
Malaysia’s latest crackdown on undocumented workers that began on September 1 resulted in the arrest of hundreds of foreigners, mostly from Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Malaysia is home to thousands of Filipinos.
Many of the Philippine citizens are undocumented and reside in Malaysian-controlled Sabah, a resource-rich territory that is also being claimed by the Philippines.
On Monday, Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Ed Malaya called on Minister for Home Affairs Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and requested humane treatment for Filipinos who may be affected by the campaign against illegal immigrants.
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