Kota Kinabalu: Some 569 Filipinos were deported via Sandakan on Thursday (July 20).
The detainees, who were previously held at immigration depots in the State, boarded the ferry “MV Antonia 1” bound for Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.
Sabah Immigration Director Datuk Sharifah Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said the group comprised 392 men, 143 women and 33 children.
“All the children deported were accompanied by their parents and custodians, who were also sent home,” she said in a statement, Friday.
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She said these detainees had violated various immigration offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963.
The punishment for the detainees was meted under the Immigration Act as well as the country’s legal process, including up to the deportation phase.
As such, Sharifah reminded all foreign nationals to ensure they had valid travel documents or work permits to work in Sabah before entering the State.
“All the enforcement agencies in Sabah will not hesitate to take strict action against those who do not follow the rules,” she warned.
She said the latest deportation was part of an on-going exercise by the department on foreign detainees held at immigration depots Statewide.
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