Perak Labour Dept rescues 55 foreign workers from exploitation at Lahat furniture company
IPOH: About 55 foreign workers, believed to be victims of exploitation, were rescued from a furniture company in Lahat.
Perak Labour Department director Mohd Nizar Zakaria said the victims, which included 32 from Bangladesh, 14 Myanmar nationals, and nine Nepalese, aged between 19 and 45, were rescued during an Ops Mega Pintas operation on Thursday (May 8).
Mohd Nizar said the victims' employer failed to provide appropriate accommodation, violating Section 24(D) of the Workers Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act.
"The employer has also committed multiple offences under the Employment Act, including Section 19 for late salary payment, Section 60K for failure to report foreign workers' employment, and Section 24 for unauthorised salary deductions.
"Other offences included Regulation 8 for absence of employment contracts and Section 90B for forced labour practices," he told reporters after the raid on May 8.
"Apart from the foreigners, we also rescued six locals aged between 35 and 60," he added.
Nizar said the workers have not received their salaries for the past five months, and the foreign workers have had their passports withheld by the employer.
Authorities are now gathering statements from all the workers to determine the duration of exploitation and whether the employer complied with the minimum wage of RM1,700.
"The police have opened an investigation under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Act 670).
"The Environment Department will also take necessary action regarding the unsafe factory conditions," he added.
Meanwhile, Perak police chief Comm Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said the raid was carried out based on public information about the workers' struggles.
He said the company's 58-year-old managing director has been arrested.
"The foreign workers will be transferred to a protection centre in Melaka within 24 hours.
"We urge all employers not to mistreat their employees and to uphold their responsibilities while adhering to the law," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
RM10.3mil in illegal e-waste seized in Sabah crackdown
KOTA KINABALU: Authorities seize more than RM10.3mil worth of illegal e-waste and detain 44 individuals in Sabah. The joint enforcement operation, codenamed Ops Hazard 2.0, was carried out on Monday (June 16) across 16 locations identified as hotspots for unlawful e-waste collection and handling. Sabah General Operations Force (GOF) commander Datuk Abdul Rani Alias said the raids were conducted in multiple districts, including Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Tuaran, Keningau, Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu and Sandakan. 313 personnel were involved in the integrated operation, representing various agencies, including the Environment Department, Customs Department, Fire and Rescue Department, Labour Department, local authorities and the Health Ministry. 'From the operation, 44 individuals were detained – 23 local men, five local women, and one child. We also arrested 10 men and five women from the Philippines and Indonesia,' he said in a statement on Thursday (June 19). Investigations revealed that all raided premises were illegally buying and collecting e-waste without proper authorisation or compliance with environmental laws. The seizures included a wide range of discarded electronic and electrical items, with the total value estimated at RM10.3mil. Abdul Rani said several offences were detected during the operation. These included violations of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and its subsidiary legislation, the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005, for the illegal handling and storage of scheduled waste. Other offences were committed under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for the presence of undocumented foreign nationals, the Control of Supplies Act 1961 for illegal trading activities, and the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 for non-compliance with public health regulations. Additional breaches involved the Food Act 1983, the Fire Services Act 1988, the Sabah Labour Ordinance (Cap. 67) for employment violations, and the Trade Licensing Ordinance 1948 for operating without valid business licences.
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
2,000 metric tonnes of illegal e-waste collected in Ops Hazard 2.0, says Environment Department
KUALA LUMPUR: Some 2,000 metric tonnes of illegal e-waste were seized in Ops Hazard 2.0, says the Environment Department. Its enforcement division director, Rosli Zul, said the department also issued equipment seizure orders on 24 premises raided during the special operation. "It was done per Section 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127) for operating machinery without any pollution control systems. "We also issued 59 directives under Sections 31 and 37 of the Act, while 18 compounds were issued for various violations of the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005," he told a press conference in Bukit Aman on Thursday (June 19). Rosli said investigations have been opened into 25 premises for various offences, including failure to comply with license conditions and operating unlicensed scheduled waste storage facilities. "Other offences detected were failure to obtain written approval from the department's director-general, failure to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment report and disposal of scheduled waste without proper approval. 'These illegal activities not only break the law but pose serious threats to human health and the environment due to the potential release of hazardous pollutants into the air, water, and soil,' he said. Many of the illegal operations were found in remote areas and outside approved industrial zones, making enforcement and monitoring more difficult, and increasing risks for enforcement officers, Rosli said. He stressed that any management of scheduled waste, including e-waste, without proper approval from the director-general is a serious offence " Under the latest amendments to the Environmental Quality Act (Amendment) 2024, offenders now face fines of up to RM10mil and jail terms of up to five years if convicted," he added. Ops Hazard 2.0 was recently conducted, involving various agencies led by the police's General Operations Force.
New Straits Times
12-06-2025
- New Straits Times
Nearly 200 foreigners held in KL nightclub raid
KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 200 foreigners were detained in an Immigration Department raid on a nightclub offering "dugem" music in Pudu, here, early today. According to a post on the department's official Facebook page, the raid was conducted following public complaints and two weeks of intelligence gathering by its Enforcement Division in Putrajaya. "Dugem" is an acronym for "Dunia Gemerlap" (shining world), referring to the nightlife scene, particularly clubbing and discotheques. The colloquial term is also associated with alcohol consumption or taking illicit substances. "An operations team consisting of 129 officers was deployed to the premises, along with 11 officers from the National Registration Department. "A total of 310 individuals were initially checked during the operation — 128 foreign men, 116 foreign women and 66 Malaysian citizens," the department said. It added that 185 Indonesians, comprising 106 men and 79 women, a Cambodian man and woman, and a Nepalese man, all aged between 21 and 35, were detained for various immigration offenses. "The offences include overstaying and not possessing valid travel documents. "All detainees were taken to the KLIA and Lenggeng Immigration Detention Depots for investigation and further action." The department also said eight summonses were issued to witnesses, including the club supervisor, premises caretaker and a female disc-jockey (DJ) working at the venue. The nightclub's modus operandi was to feature local and foreign DJs playing "dugem" music, primarily targeting foreigners from Indonesia. "The club operated from 11pm to 5am. At the time of the raid, the foreign patrons were found engrossed in the 'dugem' music." "All foreigners were held under Section 51(5)(b) of the Immigration Act 1959/63," it said.
