An errant Malaysian employer has been sentenced to one stroke of the cane for hiring illegal workers in the state of Selangor. Although the law permits such severe penalties, the milestone decision has never been meted out in the state before, said Immigration Department of Malaysia’s director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali.
In addition to the caning, the employer – a bakery owner – will serve six months in jail. He was found guilty of employing 15 illegal immigrants.
“With this first case, we hope it will serve as a deterrent to employers from hiring illegal foreign workers,” Mustafar told the Malaysian press at the opening of the state-level Immigration Day celebration.
Malaysian employers who are guilty of hiring more than five illegal immigrants at a time may face up to five years’ imprisonment, and may be sentenced a maximum of six whippings of the cane.
“Throughout last year, 80% of employers found hiring illegal immigrants were charged in court, and the rest are still in the process to be brought to court,” Mustafar said.
In 2017, the Immigration Department had carried out checks on a total of 188,884 employers as part of nationwide operations to curb the practice, reported New Straits Times. The operation resulted in a total of 1,257 arrests.
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