There have been several raid operations this month alone. Previously, religious authorities arrested trans sex workers and raided illegal massage parlours in Ipoh and prior to that, a few staff members of a shawarma store in Bukit Bintang were escorted out by immigration officers for allegedly not possessing a work permit.
These kinds of operations are not hard to miss, especially if you’re in the area. However, the one that was launched yesterday went viral as it involved many members of the General Operations Force to catch a certain group of people in Kuala Lumpur. Here’s what happened:
@hypemalaysia Over 1000 members of the General Operations Force were seen chasing down undocumented foreign workers on rooftops and raided several illegal businesses at Jalan Silang, KL. 📹: suhailayunuss, haniiimanis on Twitter
Yesterday (Thursday, 21st December), photos and videos of the General Operations Force (GOF) chasing down several men on top of buildings at Jalan Silang, Kuala Lumpur circulated all over social media. The large-scale operation was witnessed by many residents of the area who were wondering what exactly happened for them to launch the raid.
It was then reported that the operation was to raid undocumented foreign workers and business owners. As seen in the photos above, many tried to run away as soon as they saw the GOF lorries outside their premises. Over 1,000 police officers and personnel of the GOF surrounded the area at 11am and broke into several buildings to check the foreign workers’ documentation to see if their businesses were legitimate.
According to the China Press and NST, over 1000 foreigners were detained by 1pm. Those who were apprehended, mostly men, include Mamak restaurants’ chefs, clothing store and grocery store employees, and even boss-level personnel. It was said that those who were detained were brought to the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) for further investigations.
The raid blew up all over social media where netizens discussed their thoughts on the operation. While some praised the GOF and PDRM for their quick action in arresting illegal workers, many believed that a large-scale operation such as this should’ve been focused on more serious crimes.
At the time of writing, there have been no updates from the authorities on what will happen to these foreign workers or their establishments at Jalan Silang.
Sources: Twitter, China Press (1)(2), NST
