KOTA KINABALU: Love and loss know no borders.
Determined to bid a final farewell to her late husband, a 60-year-old foreign woman risked everything by entering Mainglaysian waters illegally via Pulau Taganak on Sunday night (March 9).
Her journey was cut short when authorities detained her under immigration laws.
Initial investigations revealed that the woman, an IMM13 pass holder, a special document issued by the Immigration Department to Filipino refugees who fled to Sabah in the early 1970s, had lived in the state for years.
She married a local man and had children.
However, she had left for the Philippines illegally, without passing through Malaysian immigration channels.
Her husband, however, passed on while she was away.
Upon receiving the news, she attempted to return to Sabah illegally, leading to her arrest by the authorities.
In a rare act of compassion, Sandakan district police officers escorted her to Kampung Sundang, more than 300km from here, and granted her a final moment by her husband’s side before his burial.
Sandakan police chief Asst Comm Ahsmon Bajah confirmed that while the case remains under investigation under Section 5(2) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, the suspect was accorded dignity.
“This reflects the professionalism of the police force, balancing legal enforcement with humanity,” he said on Monday (Mar 10). Ends.
