Indonesian gets prison term, caning for entering Malaysia illegally

KUCHING: An Indonesian man was sentenced to four months in prison and two strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court on Friday (July 26) for entering Malaysia without a valid travel permit.

Hendy, 20, pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and was sentenced under Section 6(3) of the same act, read before Judge Iris Awen Jon.

According to the charge, he was accused of being in the country when he was arrested at a premises in Jalan Penrissen around 10.25 on July 18.

Upon conviction, he can be fined up to RM10,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding five years or both, and can be subjected to a maximum of six strokes of the cane.

Judge Iris ordered the accused to be handed over to the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) after serving his sentence.

According to the facts of the case, at the time of the incident, a team of police raided a premises suspected of being involved in online gambling activities.

The investigation found that the accused was an Indonesian citizen without valid travel documents, and a check with JIM revealed no record of the accused’s entry and exit movements into the country through Sarawak.

Further investigation also revealed that he entered the country via a clandestine route at the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Tebedu to work.

The case was prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Ruvinasini Pandian while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.