KUALA LUMPUR – A recent investigation has revealed a widespread presence of illegal foreign workers at Pavilion Damansara, one of the city’s premier shopping malls. Sources indicate that management at Pavilion Damansara has employed Bangladeshi and Indonesian nationals as cleaners, many of whom are working without the necessary Malaysian work permits.
A survey conducted at the mall found that a significant number of cleaners, as well as employees in various restaurants and shops, are undocumented foreigners openly working despite lacking legal authorization. During a police inspection, all cleaners reportedly vanished, retreating to their residential rooms located on Basement 2 and Basement 3 of the mall. While Malaysian immigration authorities are active in public areas of the city, they rarely conduct raids in high-profile commercial establishments such as Pavilion Damansara. Officials at the mall are reportedly aware that a large portion of their workforce is undocumented, yet the issue persists as management has largely ignored previous warnings. Local civic groups and social organizations have now urged Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Home Minister, Director General of Immigration, and Inspector General of Police to launch a major operation at Pavilion Damansara. They argue that addressing the illegal workforce is critical, warning that such unchecked employment is increasingly harmful to the nation’s economy. In an effort to obtain their official stance, the management of Pavilion Damansara was approached for clarification on the issue. However, they failed to provide any satisfactory response.
The lack of a clear explanation strongly suggests that the management of Pavilion Damansara Shopping Mall is deliberately turning a blind eye and is, for its own benefit, compelled to shelter and employ illegal migrants.
An attempt was made to contact the office of the Director General of Malaysian Immigration to obtain an official stance. However, the office staff informed that the Director General was out of the office due to a meeting. When asked further about the issue, the staff stated that the department frequently receives reports regarding illegal migrants and that enforcement actions are carried out from time to time based on such information.
They also confirmed that the Immigration Department does not ignore reports highlighted by the media or shared on social media platforms, and that necessary action is taken whenever credible information is received.