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Police sources said the number of illegal immigrants in the country had surpassed the 1.2 million figure that had been bandied about as the "estimated official" number.

They believe that for every illegal immigrant in the country, there are at least three more that are unaccounted for.

Enforcement officers from various agencies NST spoke to were unanimous in that the strict screening of foreign citizens would not deter genuine tourists but would encourage more to come if they felt that the country was safe from threats.

"We have seen a significant increase in foreigners' involvement in criminal activities and most of the time, they are not those who are employed legally in the country.

"Even genuine tourists are being victimised by these foreigners, let's not even talk about Malaysian themselves being conned, harmed and killed by these people," they said.