KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — The Bangladesh national who was being hunted by the Immigration Department for allegedly sullying the authorities’ name in an interview has been detained by the agency’s officers, Harian Metro reported.
The report quoted the department’s director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud as confirming the matter.
Harian Metro reported that the 25-year-old Md Rayhan Kabir, who was featured in the Al Jazeera documentary Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown, was found hiding in a condominium in the city centre.
On July 7, the Immigration Department circulated a notice seeking public information on the man, to be investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/1963.
In its notice, the Immigration Department provided the name of the 25-year-old man, his passport number and his last known address in Kuala Lumpur, urging the public to contact the department with any information they could provide to assist in the investigations.
The man was among those featured by Al Jazeera in its recent 101 East documentary, and his personal details have since been circulated by Malaysians online who were angry with the critical report that carried allegations of the mistreatment of migrant workers in Malaysia.
Khairul Dzaimee previously said the Al Jazeera documentary on immigration operations during the movement control order was inaccurate, pointing out that the Malaysian government had provided free treatment to 773 foreigners in immigration depots who tested positive for Covid-19 and had been praised by foreign embassies for doing so.
On July 3, Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera released the 25.50-minute-long documentary on undocumented migrant workers in Malaysia.
The news agency is now facing police investigation over the film.