KOTA KINABALU: Two teenage siblings’ worst fears were realised recently when they were rounded up by the Sabah Immigration Department in a raid on undocumented people.
They were among 215 picked up at a squatter colony in Sipitang.
The two grew up with their grandmother after their mother left them in her care. Raised without legal identification papers, they never attended school.
The older sister stays home to care for their elderly grandmother, who holds an IMM13 pass issued by the Malaysian Immigration Department in the 1970s to Filipino refugees fleeing unrest in the southern Philippines.
Her younger brother takes odd jobs to make ends meet.
Their case, though rare, highlights a pressing social issue that requires urgent attention, according to Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff.
“Our investigation revealed that the siblings were born to a Malaysian mother, a Murut from Tenom, and a Filipino father. After their parents divorced, they were left in the care of their paternal grandmother. Unfortunately, their mother never processed their identification documents.
“They have lost contact with their mother, who they believe is now working in Kuala Lumpur. Their only proof of citizenship is through their biological sister in Tenom, who possesses an IC (identification card),” she said.
While their eldest sister’s documentation is in order, the two siblings remain without any papers, not even birth certificates, due to their parents’ separation.
“The eldest sister, a 21-year-old Christian raised by their maternal grandparents from the mother’s side, has vouched for her younger siblings, who are Muslims,” said Sitti Saleha.
The case has been referred to the National Registration Department for further action.
Sitti Saleha noted that unlike many other children, the siblings are fortunate to have a local family member vouching for them.
“Many of these children are victims of broken families, often between a local and an undocumented spouse who had a shotgun marriage. It is crucial to register marriages properly and for mothers to ensure their children are documented,” she said.
The recent raid was part of a broader series of Beaufort operations, targeting construction sites and squatter colonies.
After a screening exercise, 35 adults – 18 Filipino males, 16 Filipino females and an Indonesian woman – as well as 29 children – 12 boys and 17 girls – aged between a month and 79 years were further detained for failing to produce valid documents.
