KOTA KINABALU, Nov 16 — The government has begun its mass repatriation exercise against illegal immigrants in Sabah by shipping home 400 Filipinos yesterday evening.
State Security Council director Datuk Rodzi Saad said the 400, aged between one and 60, were from the temporary detention centre in Sandakan and were sent to the southern Philippine island of Zamboanga on board the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry about 6pm yesterday.
“This effort is a sign of the government’s commitment to tackle the issue of illegal immigrants in this state,” he said in a statement today.
The detainees were meant to be deported back more than a month ago but the usual ferry, MV Danica Joy 2, sank at the Zamboanga port on September 22.
Last Saturday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had in their meeting agreed to take back his country’s people who have illegally made Sabah their home.
Najib added that the Malaysian Navy would even provide the ships if necessary.
He said that the state would start sending back some 7,000 detainees it currently had in its detention centres.
Sabah has been plagued by illegal immigrants for over three decades, causing socio-political and economic problems for the state.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry was formed to look into the issues in 2013 and two high level committees were formed as a result of the report.
However, many parties, including within the government lamented the delay in resolving the problem of the illegals.
