Rela members not paid RM80 per illegal(Malaysiakini)

Rela members not paid RM80 per illegal

Yoges Palaniappan Mar 21, 07 2:30pm

Deputy Home Minister Tan Chai Ho today denied that voluntary corp Rela members are paid RM80 for every illegal immigrant they nab. Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby, he said Rela consist of volunteers who attach little importance to financial incentives. However, he said since most of them are self-employed, they have to be compensated when on duty. He added that Rela members are only paid RM6 as allowance per operation and not RM80 per illegal immigrant as alleged by some parties. In 2005 and 2006, he said Rela members had arrested 8,244 and 25,045 illegal immigrants respectively while in the first quarter of 2007, they arrested 9,691 illegal immigrants. No deaths “For those who employ an illegal worker, we will impose a fine amounting between RM10,000 and RM50,000, or imprisonment of not more than 12 months or both. “And an employer who hires more than five illegal workers at the same time faces imprisonment between six months to five years, and will be caned not more than six times,” he added. According to Tan, 186 employers have been brought to court after the Immigration Act 1959/63 was amended in 2002. Sixty-three of them were slapped with fines or imprisonment. Meanwhile, the deputy minister also denied the allegation that some illegal workers died during aggressive operations carried out by Rela members. He said Rela, who were given the authority to arrest illegal immigrants in 2005, are given proper training before they are permitted to go on operations.