Bold, independent coverage of Malaysian politics, business and current affairs.
Malaysian authorities arrested 226 migrants in a major Johor raid, dismantling a network that enabled illegal workers to repeatedly enter the country using forged passport stamps.
Five Taiwanese nationals face human trafficking charges in Butterworth after allegedly forcing a Cameroonian woman into labour. The case underscores Malaysia's persistent struggle with trafficking networks exploiting foreign workers.
Immigration authorities in Kuala Lumpur have arrested a Myanmar national accused of operating as an unlicensed agent for a syndicate trafficking fraudulent employment passes to undocumented migrant workers, part of ongoing enforcement efforts.
A suspended Singapore police officer's jail sentence has been increased to 11½ years following a High Court appeal over his role in the fatal abuse of a Myanmar domestic worker, marking the final conviction in a landmark case.
A Singapore-based scammer posing as a film producer defrauded six foreign nationals of more than S$14,000 using forged work permit documents. The alleged mastermind, Abdul Raheem, is also being investigated for a similar 2025 scheme.
A Bangladeshi national has pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing 11 passports in Kulim, Kedah. The case underscores growing document fraud risks in Malaysia's immigration system.
Malaysia's immigration authorities have intensified enforcement against foreign nationals illegally working on social visit passes. Arrests more than doubled from 1,279 in 2023 to 2,644 in 2024, with 2,630 apprehensions recorded in the latest reporting period.
Malaysia's Immigration Department is ramping up enforcement operations against foreign nationals illegally working on Social Visit Passes, with arrests surging from 1,279 in 2023 to 2,630 in 2025.
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A five-year prison sentence handed to a 21-year-old Indonesian woman in Sarawak has drawn criticism from health advocates who argue it reflects systemic failures in reproductive healthcare, legal support, and social protection across Southeast Asia.
Johor police have arrested 11 individuals, including a foreign worker's employer, in connection with a fatal head injury case in Johor Bahru. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the worker's death remain ongoing.
Penang's Department of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the death of a Bangladeshi construction worker who fell from a high-rise building under development in Bayan Mutiara. The worker plummeted from the 34th floor and was found critically injured on a canopy roof at Level 9.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has obtained remand orders for 33 individuals, including law enforcement and government employees, suspected of facilitating illegal activities linked to foreign nationals through an organised syndicate.
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Police in Perak have arrested three individuals accused of impersonating law enforcement officers to rob a migrant worker in Manjung. The incident highlights growing concerns over organised crime targeting vulnerable foreign workers.
Sophisticated romance scams impersonating Dubai's Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed are leveraging AI-generated deepfakes to deceive victims worldwide. Researchers have linked some operations to organised crime networks in Nigeria, with victims losing substantial sums through fabricated marriage proposals and fake investment schemes.
Johor immigration authorities arrested an HR officer and 80 foreign nationals during enforcement operations at two Larkin industrial area factories, signalling intensified action against undocumented workforce schemes.
Authorities have arrested four individuals, including a car wash proprietor, following an assault on a foreign worker at a Taman Kiara car wash establishment in Kuala Selangor on Wednesday.
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Human rights group Tenaganita has condemned Malaysia's approach to immigration enforcement following a Port Klang operation that detained 270 migrant workers, arguing that employers who profit from illegal labour should face criminal prosecution rather than administrative fines.
A Shanghai resident with a prior fraud conviction deceived a migrant worker couple he had known for 30 years, siphoning over 700,000 yuan by posing as owner of a vacant flat and changing its locks. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
The Melaka Road Transport Department seized 60 vehicles during an enforcement operation targeting unregistered drivers and expired documentation. Most seized were motorcycles from foreign nationals.