KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — A total of 9,241 illegal immigrants were detained while 13,127 people were deported by the Immigration Department of Malaysia nationwide since early this year until July 8.

Its director-general, Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said 53,195 individuals were questioned in 2,011 operations during the period.

"A total of 99 employers were also detained during the period while those deported comprised 10,418 men, 2,276 women, 289 boys and 144 girls,” he said in a statement here, today.

Based on the department’s statistics, he said, 80,865 people were repatriated through the recalibration programme implemented from Dec 21 to July 8.

In the meantime, Khairul Dzaimee said 63 foreign workers comprising 35 Myanmarese and 14 people each from Indonesia and Bangladesh were detained in Ops Pauh at a foreign workers’ settlement of a construction project area in Yarra Park, Sungai Petani, Kedah early today.

"In the operation which ended at 2.20 am, all those detained were found to have committed offences under Section 6(1)© of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Section 15(1)© of the same act,” he said. — Bernama