Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Immigration Department carried out a sea-based repatriation exercise recently for 140 undocumented Indonesian nationals.
Its Director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the detainees were transferred from the Kota Kinabalu and Papar Immigration Depots to Tawau Port before being repatriated to Nunukan Port, Indonesia, using commercial ferry services.
The group consisted of 96 adult men, 30 adult women, 12 boys and two girls, aged between one and 70 years.
“Children participating in the programme were accompanied by their respective parents or guardians,” she said.
Prior to this, on Oct 12, the Kota Kinabalu Immigration Depot deported 29 Filipino nationals, comprising 23 adult men, five adult women and one boy, via air from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to Manila, Philippines.
In addition, seven Chinese nationals, consisting of four adult men and three adult women, were also deported via a flight from KKIA to Guangzhou, China.
Sitti Saleha said to date, a total of 5,951 illegals have been repatriated to their countries of origin.
They comprised 1,769 Indonesian nationals, 4,003 Filipinos, 132 Pakistanis, 139 Chinese nationals, 25 Vietnamese and 23 individuals of other nationalities.
All repatriated detainees had completed their sentences in accordance with established legal provisions and possessed valid Travel Documents in Lieu of Passport (SPLP) to qualify for the transfer process.
The Sabah Immigration Department urged the public to remain vigilant about their community surroundings, avoid harbouring or employing undocumented migrants and immediately report any illegal immigrant activities through JIM Sabah’s official channels, via the Public Complaints Management System (Sispaa) at [https://spab.gov.my](https://spab.gov.my) or the Online Inquiry System (SPO) at [https://eapp.imi.gov.my](https://eapp.imi.gov.my).
