In its move to curb overstayers, the Immigration
                 Department is to pay for information leading to the
                 arrest of those who harbour illegal foreigners

                 KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia's Immigration
                 Department is resorting to hiring spies to nab employers
                 who hire and harbour illegal immigrants, following a
                 spate of cases.

                 It will pay for information leading to the arrest of such
                 employers, but director-general Datuk Aseh Che Mat
                 would not disclose the amount of the reward.

                 "I'm not going to reveal the amount, especially for
                 providers of information leading to the arrest of
                 employers harbouring more than five illegal foreign
                 workers," he said.

                 "The penalty is heavy -- a RM10,000 fine and
                 mandatory imprisonment," Bernama quoted him as
                 saying on Tuesday.

                 RM10,000 is worth S$4,370.

                 The department will work closely with Rela, a vigilante
                 group, and will further streamline the duties of the
                 various enforcement authorities involved in the arrest and
                 deportation of illegal immigrants.

                 "It is important that we achieve this, since we have
                 already identified illegal immigrants as the worst threat to
                 national security after drug abuse," The Sun quoted
                 Datuk Aseh as saying.

                 The department recruited 300 new officers this month to
                 check on premises which may be harbouring foreign
                 students and workers with expired visit passes and work
                 permits.

                 Datuk Aseh said the hardline stand by the immigration
                 authorities followed a spate of cases of overstaying and
                 illegal entry by foreigners.

                 Without citing figures, he said employers of foreign
                 labourers and sponsors of foreign students were
                 becoming increasingly apathetic about renewing their
                 charges' visit or work passes.

                 "We've issued thousands, in fact millions, of work
                 permits, study permits, temporary-visit passes, students'
                 passes and the like," he said.

                 "Some employers couldn't be bothered to come to
                 renew their labourers' work permits."

                 As for holders of expired student passes, immigration
                 officers would check with the schools concerned, he
                 said.

                 He said that between August and November last year,
                 more than 200,000 illegal immigrants were repatriated
                 under an amnesty programme.

                      Adapted from The Straits Times, 6 Jan 2000.