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TAWAU: A total of 104 illegal immigrants (Pati), including five children, from Indonesia were sent back through Tawau Port on Tuesday under the 12th series of detainee transfer programme for the deportation by sea category this year.

Sabah Immigration Department (JIM) Director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said they comprised 78 men, 21 women and five children with their parents or relatives.

“All the detainees are aged between two and 55 years and were sent home using the Francis Express ferry service directly to Nunukan Port, Tunon Taka Terminal, Indonesia,” she said.

According to her, the transfer programme this time involved Indonesian detainees from the Tawau Immigration Depot (DIT) only, which was implemented in collaboration with the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia (KRI) in Tawau.

She said they were previously detained at DIT and finished serving their sentences for various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963.

“The punishment imposed is based on the country’s legal process up to the action of deportation to the country of origin,” she said.

Commenting further, Sitti Saleha said the frequency of the Pati transfer programme for Indonesian citizens implemented by Sabah JIM is also subject to strategic cooperation from KRI in Tawau in speeding up the documentation process for detainees.

She said the consulate then issued a travel document called Sijil Perjalanan Laksana Passport (SPLP) for Indonesian detainees to enable them to be transferred to their country of origin.

She added that the transfer programme is part of the ongoing operations carried out by the Sabah JIM for foreign detainees stationed at all Immigration Depots throughout the State.

Saleha said Sabah JIM will continue to carry out enforcement operations and the transfer of Pati after they have gone through all the enforcement actions and national legal processes and received confirmation from the embassies of their respective countries of origin.