Probe on IC claim culprits
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Home Minister Datuk Azis Jamman has directed the police to carry out investigation into false allegations that the state government is giving out citizenship to illegal immigrants in Sabah.
Azis said he had also directed the police to find out who are the people responsible for spreading the allegations online so that appropriate and stern action can be taken against them for trying to smear the new Parti Warisan Sabah-led State government.
“There were claims in the social media that the Parti Warisan Sabah government, and I myself, have given approval to collect information from illegal immigrants in order that they can be issued with identification cards,” he said.
Azis made the remarks during Ops Mega 3.0 carried out by the Immigration Department at two illegal squatter settlements here, namely Kampung Gentisan in Sepanggar and Kampung Baru in Tanjung Aru, early Tuesday morning. Also present during the raids was Immigration Department director-general Mustafar Ali.
Dismissing the allegations, he said that it was part of the opposition’s effort to smear and undermine the Warisan-led State government.
The opposition has made claims that Warisan is harbouring illegal immigrants in Sabah. These are all accusations just to smear our reputation.
“I have directed the police to investigate this matter, and when we find out who the masterminds are, stern action will be taken against them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azis gave assurance that the government is committed towards resolving the illegal immigrants problem not only in the state, but also nationwide.
“I have directed the Immigration Department to conduct raids on illegal squatters, including in my parliamentary constituency in Sepanggar,” said Azis, who is also the Sepanggar member of parliament.
To a question on the number of illegal immigrants still staying in the state, Azis said the actual number is difficult to obtain as these people could slip in and out of the country illegally.
“That is why such operation like today is important for the authority to hunt them down, detain them and deport them back to their home countries,” Azis said.
Meanwhile, Mustafar said that since Ops Mega 3.0 was launched early this year, the Immigration Department had conducted numerous operations nationwide and up to 30,000 illegal immigrants had been detained.
“Ops Mega 3.0 has also seen close to 1,000 employers detained for their failure to surrender their illegal workers voluntarily.
“We realise that many parties were not happy with the way we carry out our task and have asked us to slow down our operations and raids. But we have given ample time for employers and their illegal workers to surrender themselves under the 3+1 programme.
“We are aware that our country needs foreign workers, but not illegal immigrants,” he said, adding that the Immigration Department will not compromise anymore and will go out full force in their operations.
The 3+1 Programme is a voluntary surrender programme to enable all illegal immigrants in the country who are not eligible under the Rehiring Programme to return to their countries of origin, voluntarily. The Rehiring Programme ended on June 30.
Yesterday’s operations saw 640 people being rounded up by the Immigration Department. Fifty-eight of them were further detained for staying illegally in the country.
Among those nabbed were 15 men, 15 women, 11 boys and 17 girls who too shelter illegally at Kampung Gentisan in Sepanggar and Kampung Baru in Tanjung Aru.
Close to 90 officers and personnel from the Immigration Department took part in the fourhour operations which began at midnight on Tuesday.