KOTA KINABALU: A total of 218 Indonesian nationals were repatriated from Sabah on Monday (Dec 16) under the Immigration Department’s ongoing programme to return undocumented migrants to their home countries.
The group was transferred from the Tawau Immigration Depot to Nunukan, Indonesia, via the Tawau Ferry Terminal using the Francis Express and Purnama Express ferries, according to the Sabah Immigration Department.
Those repatriated comprised 184 adult men, 24 adult women, eight male children and two female children aged between one and 80 years old, with all children accompanied by their parents or guardians.
In a statement on Tuesday (Dec 16), Sabah Immigration director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the operation formed part of continuous enforcement efforts to manage undocumented migration in the state.
“All detainees involved have completed their sentences in accordance with existing laws and possess valid Travel Certificates in Lieu of Passports (SPLP), which qualify them for the repatriation process,” she said.
Sitti Saleha said the latest exercise brought the total number of Indonesian nationals repatriated so far to 2,375, contributing to an overall figure of 10,431 undocumented migrants repatriated from Sabah under the programme.
She added that the frequency of repatriation exercises depended on the issuance of SPLP by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Sabah.
“The department will continue to take firm action without compromise against any employer found protecting or harbouring undocumented foreign workers,” she said.
She also urged employers to take part in the Sabah government’s digital registration programme for foreign workers, particularly in the plantation sector, saying the initiative would help address issues related to multiple documentation and the accumulation of undocumented migrants in the state.
Employers found guilty of abetting or sheltering undocumented migrants could face penalties under the Immigration Act 1959/63, including fines of up to RM50,000, imprisonment and whipping.
