KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah government should include solutions to the presence of the Pala’u community in the state in the upcoming report by the state special committee on undocumented migrants, a state DAP lawmaker said today.
Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin said people in his constituency were incensed after a video clip went viral of two children, believed to be from the Pala’u community, placing screws on the road.
“I believe these children are from the Pala’u community, who are sea nomads and stateless. These Pala’u children have been seen roaming around the city for years,” Chan said in a statement.
“They also knock on car windows begging for money.”
Chan said the continued presence of the Pala’u community in the city could lead to a rise in social ills and crime.
Earlier, deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said the special committee is expected to present a preliminary report next month, with proposed solutions to the long-standing issue of undocumented people in Sabah.
Jeffrey said the special committee has engaged political parties, government agencies and industry players to gain an accurate picture on the issue.
The Human Rights Commission has said that a large number of complaints regarding citizenship in Malaysia have come from Sabah, accounting for a quarter of over 4,000 total reports nationwide. – The Vibes, April 21, 2022
