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KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia -- More than 1,000 Filipinos and Indonesians have been detained 72 hours as the State Government of Sabah launched a massive drive to flush out illegal immigrants.
Over 3,000 people were brought to two screening centers set up here Saturday and 1,032 mostly Filipinos and Indonesians were found to be illegal immigrants, Deputy Sabah Police Commissioner Abdul Razak Abdul Ghani.
They were sent to temporary immigration detention centers in Menggatal here and in newly-opened centers in Kota Belud while awaiting deportation.
“So far, police operations have been smooth in roping in suspected illegal immigrants and we have had no untoward incidents,” he said, adding that the raids were concentrated in the city and the neighboring Penampang district.
However, police believe that many of the illegal immigrants had gone into hiding in remote villages or had returned to their countries via the back door, in the similar fashion they had entered Malaysia.
The operation is being carried out by multi enforcement agencies.
But the Malaysian Immigration Department allows employers who have illegal foreign workers in the plantation, manufacturing, and construction industries and also maids to apply for work passes to avoid having their workers deported.
Philippine and Indonesian embassy officials are expected to assist these workers secure travel documents and apply for work passes from the Immigration Department.
The ongoing operation with no immediate cut-off date, is expected to move to other districts in the west coast of the state before heading to the east coast where a big number of foreigners are working in oil palm plantations.
Hopes are high that the latest operation coordinated by the State Security Council will resolve the long standing problem of illegal immigrants that includes foreigners holding genuine MyKads obtained through fraudulent means.
Philippine officials had said the State Government of Sabah uses "illegal migrants" like Filipinos for elections and seasonal work, and then chases them out when they are no longer needed.
A Philippine claim for sovereignty over Sabah has laid dormant for decades in the international courts. Muguntan Vanar, The Star-ANN; with INQUIRER.net
