SANDAKAN – A squatter village in Mangkalinau Mile 3 here was raided by the Immigration Department yesterday at about 1am, during which 117 illegal immigrants were arrested.
Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Muhamad Sade Muhamad Amin said the raid was conducted in an integrated operation involving 213 enforcement officers and personnel.
A total of 680 foreigners were inspected in the squatter settlement, and 117 people were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of Immigration Act 1959/63 (Amendment 2002) for not possessing valid self-identification documents.
In a statement here today, the department said that out of the 117 who were arrested, 115 were Filipinos and the remaining two were Indonesians.
Immigration assistant director Hishamudin Bahiyol Zuman and immigration deputy assistant director Mohammad Isa Halsey led the other agencies during the operation.
The agencies include the Eastern Sabah Security Command; National Security Council; Royal Malaysian Police; National Registration Department; Health Ministry; National Anti-Drugs Agency; General Task Force; RELA; Sandakan Municipal Council; Forestry Department; Public Welfare Services Department; Water Department; and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd.
All the detainees were placed at the Sandakan Immigration Depot for further investigation.
“The operation was conducted to nab illegal immigrants, and at the same time, to take action against individuals who are responsible for smuggling them in.
“The department will not compromise with such offences and will take stern action in line with the laws of the country,” Sade said. – The Vibes, April 11, 2021
