The eight illegal immigrants intercepted by soldiers in the Lubok Antu sector on Saturday.
KUCHING (Apr 19): A total of 38 would-be illegal immigrants were stopped from entering Sarawak after they were intercepted by army personnel while trying to cross the border.
The First Infantry Division in a statement yesterday said soldiers were able to foil 10 separate incidents of attempted illegal entry between April 8 and 17 as part of Op Benteng operations against illegal immigrants and cross-border criminal activities.
“The latest incident was on April 17 around 5pm when an army patrol team in the Lubok Antu sector detained seven men and one woman, believed to be illegal immigrants.
“They were intercepted about 300 metres from the Malaysian border and ordered them to turn back to their country of origin,” it said.
Another incident occurred on April 12 in Tebedu which saw soldiers turn back a group of 11 illegal immigrants which included a nine-month-old female infant.
The statement said the army will continue to guard the border against attempted crossings by illegal immigrants.
“Even during the fasting month, members of the army are committed to safeguarding the nation’s borders under Op Benteng,” it added.