Foreigners make up 58% of Sabah prison inmates

TAWAU: About 58% of Sabah's 6,500 detainees and inmates serving sentences in six prisons state-wide are foreign nationals, said its Prisons Director Ab Basir Mohamad.

He said of the foreign detainees and inmates, 78% were Filipinos, 17% Indonesians and five percent from other countries.

"About 40% of Filipino detainees and inmates are serving sentences for drug offences while most of the Indonesians were detained for immigration offences," he told reporters after officiating at an event in Tawau Prison, here Thursday.

Ab Basir said prisons in Sabah were now filled beyond its 5,500-inmate capacity.

"Currently, the prisons in Sabah have exceeded their capacity by 35%.

"To reduce congestion, we have recently transferred 200 Indonesian inmates to prisons in Sarawak. This transfer of prisoners programme will continue to be done from time to time," he said, adding that they had also transferred inmates from Kota Kinabalu Prison to Labuan. - Bernama