Police To Refer Foreign Criminals To Immigration Dept To Be Declared As Persona Non Grata

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) will refer foreign criminals convicted in court, especially the heads of fraud and vice syndicates to the Malaysian Immigration Department to be declared as persona non grata, says Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador. He said the police had the same stance as the Immigration Department over the matter in order to curb criminal activities in the country orchestrated by foreigners. "Hopefully they will not be able to enter (Malaysia) again. For the rest of their lives (they) will not be able to enter this country," he said in a media conference after the signing of the Ops Benteng permanent procedures for operations at Wisma Perwira ATM here Monday. Sunday, the Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud was reported to have said that foreigners who were found involved and convicted of offences involving criminal activities would be declared as 'persona non grata’. The rule, he said, would apply to all foreigners who commited offences under the Immigration Act (1959) regardless of the type of visit pass they had. In a similar development, Immigration deputy director-general (operations) Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa said when a foreigner is declared a persona non grata, the individual is prohibited from entering Malaysia for the rest of his or her life. "When the individual is not allowed to enter, he or she would not be provided with immigration facilities offered to foreigners, for example, applying for a visa or a work permit, it won’t be allowed," he said. Commenting on whether migrants entering the country illegally could be subjected to similar action, he said foreigners who entered the country illegally were committing an offence under the Immigration Act 1959 and would be blacklisted. "So, the offence of trespassing (into the country) can subject (the foreigner) to be declared as persona non grata and this has been implemented for a long time since the enforcement of the Act (involved)," he said. -- BERNAMA