KOTA KINABALU: A total of 800 undocumented Filipinos were deported to their country of origin from Sabah’s east coast Sandakan district.
The detainees were earlier held at the Immigration depot in the state capital and Sandakan.
Sabah Immigration director Datuk Sharifah Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said the deportation exercise on Wednesday (Jan 24) involved 624 men, 104 women, and 39 children under the age of 12, including 29 babies.
“This is the second series of this deportation exercise by sea for this year.
“The detainees were sent home aboard the ferry MV Antonia 1 from the Sandakan port to Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
“They were initially detained for various violations under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963,” she said in a statement.
Sharifah said the penalties imposed on the detainees were based on the Act and Malaysia’s legal process, including deportation from the country.
“A total of 1,525 detainees have been sent home to their countries of origin so far this year through land and sea transportation,” she said.
Towards this end, she said, Sabah Immigration Department as well as other enforcement authorities will ramp up operations to detect undocumented migrants from time to time.
“We will take firm action against those who flout the law,” she said.
