Over 200 Filipinos deported in Sandakan Immigration exercise
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 208 undocumented Filipinos were deported on Friday (Sept 23) to Zamboanga City through the Sandakan port.
Sabah Immigration director Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said those deported comprised 97 men, 60 women and 51 children, all of whom were aged between 23 months and 69 years old.
All had been detained for not having any travel papers and other breaches of immigration laws.
On Friday’s exercise, Sitti Saleha said that like the previous deportation earlier this month, the detainees were deported using the ferry MV Antonia.
“However, the illegal immigrants this time only involved Filipino detainees from the Sandakan depot. The last exercise involved detainees from all four depots in Sabah,” she said in a statement on Saturday (Sept 24).
She added that all detainees were found to have committed various violations under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Rules 1963.
“The punishments meted out are based on the Immigration Act and according to the country’s legal process, up to deportation from Malaysia,” she said.
Sitti Saleha reminded foreign nationals to ensure they possessed valid travel documents as well as legitimate work permits before entering the country and work here.
“All enforcement agencies in Sabah will take firm action against those who do not comply with the law,” she said, adding the deportation exercise would be continued from time to time.
She said her department was appreciative of the involvement of the numerous parties in the exercise including the Sabah government, the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the police, Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) and the Sabah Ports and Harbour Department, among others.
She added the Sabah Immigration Department is committed towards carrying out enforcement operations as well as deportation of illegal immigrants.
“This (deportation) is of course only after all the legal process have been completed as well as getting confirmation from the embassies (of those to be deported),” Sitti Saleha said.