KOTA KINABALU – 14 Indonesians entering Sabah by sea without documentation were detained by the Armed Forces Joint Task Force (ATB).
A statement issued by the Tawau-based ATB 2 tonight said the group entry was detected by radar at the Coastal Surveillance Station.
The radar showed that a boat was heading towards Malaysian waters from the international waters around 7.38pm last night.
“The regional operation centre then instructed the deployment of a Quick Reaction Force Team to the area where it was patrolling under the Op Benteng Bersama operations.
“The area is Kampung Kurnia Jaya, and with quick action, (the task force) detained all the 14 migrants, who were found hiding inside an empty house in a Tawau village,” said ATB 2’s Public Affairs Division in a statement tonight.
A check on the migrants revealed that all are Indonesian nationals and do not have legitimate identification documents on them.
The Indonesians comprise seven men aged between 19 and 41, five women aged between 21 and 48, a 9-year-old boy, and a 2-year-old infant.
“They were believed to have been trying to enter Sabah via Sebatik Island in Tawau, and their journey had been arranged by agents from the east coast district,” the military unit said.
The case is now being investigated under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act for entering Malaysia illegally, and has been sent to the Tawau police station for processing. – The Vibes, February 1, 2022
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