PUTRAJAYA, Aug 19 — Malaysian employers top the list offenders for hiring illegal foreign workers since January this year, Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said today.

He said that the majority of the Malaysian employers had been charged under the Immigration Act.

Ruslin said that from January to August 16 this year, 11,903 operations had been carried out where 29,030 offenders had been caught, including the 900 employers, breaking the Immigration Act and the Passport Act.

"A Malaysian cannot employ illegal foreigners. They need to get legal workers, who are registered with the Immigration Department, but they hire foreign workers who have no documents or overstayed. We have arrested 900 people and we are taking action,” he said in a press conference, here.

Ruslin said that the department’s main focus now is to identify employers who employ illegal foreign workers.

"Out there, there are many illegal foreign workers. (And) who contributes to these people working? Our people, our employers. If they don’t hire them to work, we won’t find them.

"I received many complaints. Why are there so many foreigners working in restaurants? When we do an operation, apparently they don’t have documents, the employer has to take responsibility. We will charge the employer. If employers in Malaysia do not employ illegal foreign workers for work, then we can reduce it.

"We are strict in this matter. Never employ illegal foreign workers. You must follow the process,” he said.

*Editor’s note: An earlier version wrongly mentioned "permanent resident” instead of illegal foreigners in paragraph 4 and have since been corrected.