IMM13 registration suspended
Published on: Saturday, October 13, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Immigration Department on Friday announced the immediate suspension of new registrations for the refugee card IMM13, two weeks after the operation began on Oct 1.Its Director Datuk Musa Sulaiman said this was being done for the department to analyse its weaknesses after the registration ban on IMM13 documents was lifted on Oct 1.He added that there was also uncontrolled, controversial "news" that was being spread on social media by the public.
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"We need to stop it for the time being as there were too many unwanted issues that came up after the ban was lifted," he said, without elaborating further."We need to study the whole thing and see other ways to solve the issues at hand," added Musa.The Government has maintained its stand that they were not issuing instant citizenship but merely providing some sort of documentation to identify and record the population of Sabah.IMM13 is a visitor pass issued by the department to Filipino refugees who entered Sabah between 1972 and 1984.
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The children of these refugees are eligible to apply for these documents to allow them to stay with their parents.IMM13 holders are allowed to stay in Sabah and Labuan and work without having to apply for a work pass. They are also allowed to attend school and get medical services from the Government.
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There are currently a total of 55,000 IMM13 holders in Sabah. On Thursday, videos showing hundreds of IMM13 holders rushing to renew their passes or to apply for new passes for their children went viral on social media, prompting a backlash from opposition leaders who said the passes should no longer be used as there is no more war in the Southern Philippines.Referring to the viral videos, Musa had on Thursday urged those involved to take it easy to avoid accidents or unwanted incidents."There is actually no need for you all (IMM13 holders) to go running every day because there is no deadline to have your children registered for the pass," he reportedly said.He said the rules were strict and only those with complete, original and genuine supporting documents, including the child's birth records, are allowed to apply."(Applications from) those whose parents are not IMM13 holders, or whose children do not have the documents needed, will not be entertained," Musa added.The issuance of the card was suspended in 2013 but quietly resumed early this month. If not for the videos, many would not have realised about the operation, said Sabah Progressive Party President Datuk Yong Teck Lee.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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