LUMUT, Sept 24 — Thirteen foreign citizens were detained for not having a valid passport and work permit in a special operation by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in waters of Bagan Datuk, here, and Selat Dinding in Pulau Pangkor yesterday.
Perak MMEA director Captain Shahrizan Raman said the operation was conducted on a local fishing boat and two fish cages, during which a Myanmar and four Rohingya were detained for not having a valid permit to work on the boat.
The other foreign nationals, comprising five Indonesians and three Nepalese, were arrested for working at the fish cages without valid work permit and passport, he told reporters when met after the operation.
He said all the 13 foreigners were aged between 25 and 40.
On the “Op Benteng” operation, Shahrizan said a total of 48 arrests were made since last May 12 and most of those arrested were Myanmarese.
Most of them were detained for working in the country without a valid permit, he added.