TAWAU: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the petition calling for the deportation of IMM13 document holders in Sabah must be studied thoroughly by the relevant ministries before any decision is made.
He said the Home Ministry and the Foreign Ministry should jointly review the matter to ensure any action taken is consistent with national laws and Malaysia’s international commitments.
“We are giving the authority to the Home Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to study this matter. I do not want to make early comments, but I hope this matter is examined carefully and the history of IMM13 is well understood,” he said.
Mustapha said the history and background of IMM13 holders must be clearly understood before any course of action is determined.
“We hear this petition, but ultimately we must act in accordance with the Constitution, the laws of the country and relevant international policies,” he said.
The petition, titled ‘Hantar Pulang Semua Pelarian Pemegang Dokumen IMM13 ke negara asal (Filipina)’ was posted on social media by a user identified as Jestie Alexius on Sunday.
By Tuesday afternoon, it had gathered 38,683 signatures in five days as it continued to gain traction online.
The IMM13 is a special immigration document issued to refugees from the southern Philippines who settled in Sabah, primarily during the armed conflict in Mindanao in the 1970s.
