KOTA KINABALU: Seven Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly misusing their social visit pass to work at a resort construction site in Semporna.
The seven were nabbed together with four Filipinos by the Immigration Department enforcement team during an operation at the site in Sabah’s popular tourist diving haven on Tuesday.
Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said they were working to identify the employers and the owners of the resort under construction for further action.
On Oct 4, Semporna police said they received five reports from local tour operators that Chinese nationals were abusing their visitor passes to work in the district.
Police said the local tourism operators voiced their unhappiness over foreign nationals working without permits and also feared they could pose a negative image for the local tourism industry.
Police had also referred the case to the Tourism, Art and Culture Ministry (Motac) for further action.
Sitti Saleha said that the department will not compromise with foreigners staying illegally, overstaying their social visit passes or abusing it to work.
