66 Filipinos rounded up in Malaysia crackdown – report

DAVAO CITY – Malaysian authorities rounded up 66 Filipinos – including women and children – in Miri, Sarawak as the crackdown on illegal immigrants continued.

In a report, the Borneo Post said on Wednesday the Filipinos were comprised of 55 Tausugs, seven Badjaos and four Yakans and came from the provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

The rounded Filipinos were found hiding on a two-storey house in Kipkomo by operatives of the Malaysian joint operation against illegal immigrants on Monday, according to Sarawak Immigration Enforcement Chief Gary Belayong.

A subsequent raid also led to the arrest of 15 Indonesian immigrants, he said.

“Almost all of them do not have valid identification documents when arrests were made,” Belayong was quoted as saying.

Those arrested for lack of proper immigration documents will be charged under Malaysia’s Immigration Act of 1959/1963 and face fines of up to RM10,000 or imprisonment of up to five years. They also risk being struck with cane if found guilty.

Belayong was further quoted as saying more operations will be conducted in Sarawak to flush out illegal migrants.

Malaysia has launched a crackdown on illegal migrants following the 2013 assault on Sabah by followers of the sultanate of Sulu.

Ten Malaysian soldiers and policemen were killed in subsequent clashes while the group of Agbimuddin Kiram – numbering over 200 – suffered dozens of fatalities.

Many of those who joined the so-called invasion of Sabah were also subsequently arrested and charged under Malaysia’s tough security law but Agbimuddin was never caught although there were unverified reports he might have died. AC