SANDAKAN: The Sabah Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) repatriated 750 Filipino illegal immigrants (PATI) to their home country today.
The large-scale transfer used the vessel MV Antonia 1 from Sandakan Port directly to Zamboanga City Port.
The detainees brought from the Sandakan and Papar Immigration Depots comprised 378 adult men, 175 adult women, 98 boys and 99 girls. All of them were accompanied by their respective parents or guardians.
A day earlier, JIM also repatriated a Singaporean man via a flight from Kota Kinabalu International Airport to Changi Airport.
The total number of illegal immigrants repatriated by Sabah JIM so far this year has now reached 9,224.
The total involves 6,915 Filipinos, 1,959 Indonesians, 143 Pakistanis, 142 Chinese, 29 Vietnamese and 36 other nationals.
Sabah JIM has requested the cooperation of the Philippine Embassy to expedite the issuance of travel documents. The move is to prevent congestion of detainees at the state’s immigration depots.
Sabah JIM also issued a stern warning with no compromise against any employer who harbours or employs illegal immigrants.
Sabah JIM stressed that the offence of abetment carries a fine of up to RM50,000, imprisonment and whipping under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
It also urged all employers to participate in the State Government’s foreign worker digital registration programme to curb the influx of illegal immigrants, particularly in the plantation sector.
Source: Sabah JIM
