Malaysian identity documents have lost their integrity, claims Yong

KOTA KINABALU: It is imperative for Sabah to issue its own identity documents following reports that police in Manila, Philippines, had arrested an Abu Sayyaf militant who had a Malaysian MyKad and passport, says Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.

Yong was commenting on the arrest of a 53-year-old man going by the name of "Omar bin Harun" in Manila, whom authorities realised was a wanted Abu Sayyaf member who obtained Malaysian citizenship in 2008.

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The terrorist's Filipino name is Airola @ Satar and he was wanted for kidnapping and had served under Abu Sayyaf commander Radulan Sahiron in southern Philippines

"This case of an Abu Sayyaf terrorist bearing a Malaysian passport is glaring proof of the loss of integrity of MyKad and passports, both within Malaysia and internationally," claimed the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president, adding that this was unlikely to be an isolated case.

Yong, a former Sabah chief minister, said that genuine law-abiding Malaysians travelling with authentic documents might face more scrutiny when travelling to other countries because of the loss of integrity of Malaysian documents.

He said a Sabah identity card would serve as the state's "own protection against fake MyKad".

Airola was also listed as a terrorist in the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for facilitating at least five Malaysians to join other Jemaah Islamiah groups during the 2017 Marawi City siege to set up the Islamic State terrorist group in the Philippines.

Airola was barred from entering Manila on May 10 and was being processed for deportation back to Malaysia but on questioning and further checks, Philippines authorities detected his Abu Sayyaf links.

According to regional intelligence sources, Airola told Filipino investigators that he had entered Sabah sometime in 1983 via Sandakan.

Airola also told Filipino investigators he subsequently obtained a Malaysian birth certificate and applied for Malaysian citizenship, which was granted in 2008.

Airola also has a Malaysian wife living in Pandan, Selangor and an ex-wife in Dubai. He has travelled to Dubai and the Philippines using a Malaysian passport.