KUALA LUMPUR, 2 April 2009: The government spent RM11.7 million last year to repatriate 60,800 illegal immigrants, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung.
He said RM9.8 million was spent in 2007 for repatriation.
“The government has to spend RM30 a day on each detainee which covers administrative and medical costs,” Chor said when answering a question by Senator Datuk Saripah Aminah Syed Mohemed in the Dewan Negara here today.
He said based on statistics from the Immigration Department, 14,338 operations were conducted nationwide to nab illegals in 2007-2008.
“During the operations 131,979 illegals were caught and 125,080 were sent back to their countries,” he said. — Bernama
SM says
I find it difficult to believe that RM30 per day per detainee is a fair representation of the cost of medical and administration-related “services”. How much does the government spend annually on medical costs for non-illegals?