Detainees from the Sandakan and Tawau depot awaiting to board the ferry for deportation.
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 107 Indonesians who had committed various immigration offences were deported home by the authorities on Thursday (Jan 19).
The deportees, comprising 96 males and 11 females, were detainees held at the Immigration depot in Sabah’s east coast Sandakan and Tawau districts.
State Immigration director Datuk Sharifah Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said this deportation exercise, the second in its series this year, also involved the cooperation of the consulate-general of the Republic of Indonesia.
She said the detainees, aged between 14 and 63, were sent home onboard the ferry Mid East Express No 1, which departed from the Tawau port for the Nunukan port in Indonesia.
“The detainees had committed various infringements under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Rules 1963.
“The penalties meted were according to the Act and the country’s legal process which led to deportation,” she said, in a statement here on Friday (Jan 20).
Towards this end, Sitti Saleha reminded all foreign nationals to ensure they possessed valid travel documents as well as work permits to work in Sabah, before entering the country.
She said all enforcement agencies in the state will not hesitate to take firm action against those who flout the law.
She added the deportation was part of an ongoing operation by the Sabah Immigration Department for foreigners held at its depots statewide.
“The department will remain committed to enforcing the law and as to deport home undocumented foreigners through the legal process as well as after getting the confirmation from their respective embassies,” she said.
