Dept target to deport 7,000 illegals this year
Published on: Thursday, March 12, 2020
By:
Johan Aziz, Ibrahim Tabir and Christy Chok
Muhamad Sade speaking to the arrested illegals at the community hall in Keningau after the operation.
KENINGAU: The State Immigration Department has set as its priority this year the deportation of 7,000 illegal immigrants (PATI) or 10 per cent of the national objective, said its Director, Dato Muhamad Sade Mohamad Amin.The department expects to inspect more than 35,000 PATI in Sabah alone, he told a press conference after an Integrated Operation (Mahir, Sapu, Kutip) at the community hall, Tuesday.
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Muhamad Sade said 114 illegals were detained in a raid on four timber factory kongsis around Keningau town, Sook and Nabawan.
“They were arrested on suspicion of committing an offence under Section 6 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 of entering and living in the country without passport or valid pass.
“Section 15 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 over staying after the expiry of the pass and Regulation 39 (b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 which violates the conditions of the pass,” he told.
According to him, the main objective of the operation throughout Sabah was to repatriate Illegals and any offender under the Immigration Act 1959/63 (amendment 2002), Immigration Regulations 1963, Passport Act 1966, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (amendment 2010) and anti-smuggling of migrants 2007.
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“The focus of the Integrated Operation is also on employers suspected of hiring PATI, protecting PATI and the syndicates who brought PATI into the country. Action will be taken in accordance with the law without compromise,” he said, and thanked the public for providing information.
“No one should try to protect PATI in Sabah. I request the cooperation of Sabah people to report immediately if there is any PATI activity in their area,” he said.
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In KUNAK, the Sabah Eastern Security Command (Esscom) continued its crackdown on illegal immigrant settlements in the third series of Ops Gasak Laut in the Sabah Eastern Security Zone (Esszone), early Wednesday.
Forty three illegals aged between three and 63 were detained in the 3.30am operation carried out in three water villages, Kg Pangi, Kg Hampilan and Kg Pangkalan.
Esscom Commander Dato’ Hazani Ghazali said the operation was aimed at tracing and restricting the entry of informers for kidnap-for-ransom groups, especially in the east coast.
He said these informers are suspected to be among illegal immigrants in the Esszone.
Security screening was carried out by the National Registration Department, Immigration Department and the Chief Minister’s Department.
Those detained were sent to the Temporary Detention Centre in Tawau for documentation before deportation.
Hazani said Esscom will intensify Gasak operations this year to eradicate the presence of illegal immigrants and hunt down the remaining stooges of kidnap-for-ransom groups while neutralising hotspots from criminal elements.
He said several identified threats which happens frequently in hotspots in the east coast of Sabah need to be effectively addressed through periodic operations.
Also involved in the operation were those from the police, armed forces, Joint Task Force 2, Regiment Eight Army, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, General Operations Force Battalion 17, marine police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, National Security Council, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd and the Kunak District Council Municipal.
“Without the cooperation and support of all the agencies involved, Esscom will certainly have difficulties in carrying out the operation,” he said.
In TAWAU, the Sabah National Security Council deported 139 Indonesian illegals through the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, Wednesday.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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