KOTA BARU: Kelantan police have urged employers in the state to ensure that the foreign workers they hire have valid documentation to avoid getting into trouble with the law.

       Kelantan acting police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun said intelligence and operations carried out found that many foreign workers working on farms or orchards in Gua Musang, Kuala Krai and Jeli did not have valid permits, which could result in employers or company managers being arrested.

       "We often receive reports of fights or deaths involving foreign workers on farms, and upon inspection, we find that most of them do not have valid documents.

       "In such cases, police will take action by detaining the manager or estate owner who hired them," he told a press conference at the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters here on Monday (May 30).

       This followed an operation on Sunday (May 29) in which the owner and manager of a farm in Gua Musang, both in their 30s, were found employing foreign workers without permits after the death of a Myanmar worker there two days earlier.

       "Employers who hire illegal immigrants can be prosecuted under Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63 which provides for a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both, for each employee hired, upon conviction," he said.

       Employers can also be investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (Atipsom) 2007, he added.

       Muhamad Zaki said he had held discussions with the Gua Musang and Cameron Highlands district police chiefs to address the issue, especially involving foreign workers in the border area of the two states, namely Lojing in Kelantan and Cameron Highlands in Pahang.

       "Police will also discuss this matter with the Immigration Department, and we hope this message reaches the employers and estate managers, as we do not want the influx of (illegals) to become widespread if no action is taken," he said. – Bernama