KOTA KINABALU: Police are still in the dark over the repatriation of the seven Malaysians who were detained for alleged illegal entry in Filipino waters.
Sabah Police Chief Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said the seven people - part of a 15-person fishing group that also included eight Chinese nationals - were still under the custody of Filipino authorities.
“At the moment, we have yet to get the latest news (on their status),” he told reporters after an event here on Tuesday (Sept 10).
“We will let the Filipino government complete their probe, and when they return home, we will conduct our own investigations,” he added.
Comm Jauteh also said 11 people - eight Chinese nationals and three Malaysians - are currently being held in Manila.
“As it is, it is still the same as what the Home Minister (Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution) disclosed previously,” he said.
Last Thursday (Sept 5), Saifuddin said three of the seven Malaysians detained will be flown to Manila before being deported to Malaysia.
The Home Minister said the three are from a fishing group of 15 (with eight Chinese nationals in it) that was arrested by the Filipino Coast Guard for trespassing on Sept 1.
He had said 11 people from the group were flown to Manila on Sept 6 for documentation verification and subsequent deportation, while four more Malaysians were still being held in the southern Philippines then.
In a Philippines News Agency (PNA) report, Philippine Immigration Bureau commissioner Norman Tansingco said the 15 were detained in the waters of Sitangkai, near Tawi-Tawi in the southern region of the country.
To a question on the possibility that other tour companies were doing “cross-border fishing trips”, Comm Jauteh said they have not received information on this matter.
“This is the first (tour company in question) which we have found to be involved in the fishing activities in the area.
“If we have further information (on other companies doing the same), we will expand and beef up our monitoring,” he said.
In a statement on Sept 4, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry said the operating licence of the tour company at the centre of the episode had been suspended following the arrest of the fishing group in the Philippines. ((Ends))
