On November 5, 2013, authorities from the immigration office of Johor arrested an Indian man who is a member of a fake passport gang in Skudia city in Malaysia. The operation took place when the suspect was issuing a fake passport for his customers. 43 Indians, believed to be victims or customers of the gang were also arrested. A law enforcement official at from the immigration office of Johor said the authorities also discovered 80 Indian passports, one Nepalese passport, a printer, fake passports and a name list of companies and factories, believed to be customers of the gang, on the two-storey building. The official believes the gang had been in operation for two years. The gang had imported toners from India and sold fake passport for 8,400 ringgit each. Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia wants to warn Thai workers to be cautious when entering Malaysia to work, especially those who travel to the country via an agent and those whose employer hires a third party to apply for a work permit for them. The Office of Labour Affairs has discovered that several Thai workers and employers in Malaysia have been lured to apply for a fake work permit via an illegal agent, especially construction workers, industrial workers and domestic workers. Some Thai workers innocently used their fake work permit at an immigration centre and were arrested and imprisoned for 6 months. To detect a fake work permit, one shall look at a Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) page and check if a workplace indicated on the page mathces with his real workplace. For a Thai passport, the fee section shall also state Grafts. Regarding a legal work permit application at the Malaysian immigration office, a worker has to receive a Calling Visa from the office and undertake a health check with a clinic under Fomema before his work permit is printed and attached on his passport. For more information, contact the Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia at 03-2145 5868 03-21456004 or via E-mail at thai_labour_office@yahoo.com. Penalty for those who counterfiet travel documents in Malaysia is more severe than penaly for those who overstay in the country. Penalty for overstay is fine up to 10,000 ringgit and imprisonment for up to 5 year or both. Penalty for those who counterfiet travel documents in Malaysia is fine up to 30,000 ringgit and imprisonment for 5-10 years.
