JOHOR BARU, Feb 5 — The Immigration Detention Centre in Pekan Nanas, Pontian, the only detention depot for undocumented migrants in Johor, is under strict control, said Johor Immigration Department (JIM) director Baharuddin Tahir.

He said continuous efforts are taken to maintain stringent security at the centre, which currently houses 1,070 detainees, in order to prevent escape incidents.

"To avert detainee escape incidents, similar to what occurred in Bidor, Perak, the Pekan Nanas detention centre is consistently closely monitored,” Baharuddin told reporters today.

He said the centre, with a capacity for up to 1,250 detainees, is manned by a workforce of 171 officers and this includes 40 Control Unit officers during each shift.

On February 1, 131 undocumented migrants, comprising 115 Rohingya, 15 Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi, escaped from the men’s block during a riot at the temporary detention depot.

However, two detainees died in a road accident. — Bernama