By Sofia Nasir
PETALING JAYA, July 31 — The authorities detained 104 undocumented migrants during a joint operation early Tuesday (July 29) morning at a squatter settlement within the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve, believed to have existed for decades on illegally occupied land.
The site, consisting of makeshift shared houses or “rumah kongsi”, was supposedly built and rented out by locals for as little as RM300 per unit, despite being on state-owned forest land.
Selangor Immigration Department chief of operations Mohd Asrul Hazdlyzan Zakaria said the raid was le by the Selangor Forestry Department, as the landowner, with support from multiple agencies.
During the operation, the authorities also discovered that one of the illegal dwellings was a repurposed private drug rehabilitation centre that had been shut down several years ago for operating on unauthorised land.
It has since been rented out to foreign workers at RM800 per room, complete with illegally tapped electricity and water supplies.
“A total of 120 individuals were inspected, of which 104 were arrested. They comprised 30 Indonesians, 39 Bangladeshis, 23 Indians, six Burmese, and three each from Pakistan and Nepal,” he told Media Selangor after the operation.
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A group of aerial photographs showing the squatter settlement within the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve, prior to the joint operation between the Selangor Immigration Department and the Selangor Forestry Department within the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve, on July 29, 2025. — Picture by FIKRI YUSOF/MEDIA SELANGOR[/caption]
The detainees were sent to the Semenyih Immigration Detention Depot and are being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for entering and overstaying in the country without valid permits.
Asrul added that the detained individuals will be held for two weeks pending further investigation and will either be prosecuted or deported, in coordination with their respective embassies.
Meanwhile, Selangor Forestry Department director Azhar Ahmad said encroachment into the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve likely began over 20 years ago, but only came to light during recent degazettement proceedings.
“We suspect many of the occupants are security guards employed at nearby condominiums.
“Others likely work at nearby industrial zones or nurseries and have lived here for some time. One passport we found even had a valid stamp from 2015,” he said.
Azhar said the operation, involving 150 personnel from various agencies, was conducted smoothly and will continue until the area is fully cleared.
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Undocumented foreigners in custody following the Selangor Immigration Department's joint operation with the Selangor Forestry Department at a squatter settlement within the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve, on July 29, 2025. — Picture by FIKRI YUSOF/MEDIA SELANGOR[/caption]
