LAHAD DATU: The Sabah Immigration Department repatriated 285 Filipinos via Lahad Datu Harbour to Bongao Harbour, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, on Wednesday.
The repatriation programme involved 88 men, 82 women, 60 boys and 55 girls aged between 8 and 77. The children were accompanied by their parents or respective escorts.
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Sabah Immigration Director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said on Thursday that all individuals involved in the programme were from the Papar and Sandakan Immigration Depots.
She said up to 2,970 foreigners, including 1,835 Filipinos, have been repatriated to their countries of origin under the programme to date.
She added that all participants had completed legal procedures in Malaysia and possessed verified travel documents.
Meanwhile, employers are encouraged to take part in the digital data collection programme for foreigners implemented by the state government through the Sabah Integrated Management of Foreign Workers and Non-Residents (SWIMS), aimed at managing and recording the presence of foreign workers in Sabah.
The initiative is expected to help curb documentation issues and the influx of undocumented immigrants in the state. The department also warned that strict action will be taken against employers found to be sheltering undocumented foreign workers, under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
In LABUAN, 13 Filipino nationals were detained during a joint enforcement operation (Op Bersama) by the Malaysian Immigration Department and the National Registration Department for failing to produce valid identification documents.
Its Director, Mohd Redzuan Nawi said all were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The detainees, comprising 12 men and one woman, were arrested at several locations on the island and are currently held at the Labuan District Police Headquarters and Labuan Immigration Depot for further action.
In a separate case, three Filipino women aged 18 to 46 were charged at the Sessions Court in Labuan for residing without valid passes and were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty.
Mohd Redzuan reiterated the department’s commitment to taking firm action against undocumented foreigners and employers who hire them.
