Kota Kinabalu: Activist-cum-surgeon Dr Chong Eng Leong said his interest in illegal immigrants and recording how they were exploited for political purposes in Sabah was sparked by an offer that was made to him when he stood in the 1994 state election.

“I ran as a candidate in Sembulan. The night before the election, I was approached with an offer of 500 phantom voters. But I chose not to accept.

“From that time on, I conducted extensive research using various sources such as newspapers, insights from friends and input from foreign workers. I interviewed them and gathered all the details regarding foreigners who have authentic identification cards,” he said.