9,230 illegals detained in Sabah this year
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 9,230 undocumented migrants were detained, 2,443 of whom were charged for immigration offences, in the total 2,050 operations held by the State Immigration Department this year alone.
On the other hand, the department issued a total of 101,693 working passes to foreign workers and 33,978 other forms of visas for foreigners in Sabah.
Sabah Immigration director, Musa Sulaiman said that the numbers indicates the department’s performance throughout the year as they strive towards improving service and quality, with focus on integrity.
“We are happy with the department’s overall productivity and achievement. But we admit that there’s room for improvement especially in terms of quality, integrity and accountability, which we will continue to work on,” said Musa.
He was speaking to the media after launching and attending the inaugural State- level Immigration Day celebration, here yesterday.
The Immigration Day was previously only held at the national level, said Musa.
“The State- level celebration is aimed at showing appreciation and recognition for the contributions made by immigration officers and members in Sabah.
“Suffice to say that the Immigration Department Sabah had been effective in its approach and measures, taking into consideration that we only have 1,000 officers and staff against the hundreds of thousands of cases that need to be handled,” he added.
A total of 18,581 immigrants had also been deported, throughout this year, said Musa.
The number, he said, does not necessarily mean that more immigrants were hauled up this year, as it includes backlogged numbers of those whose deportation were postponed due to a ferry accident.
In the meantime, Musa also noted the RM200 incentive announced by the government for Immigration officers and staff involved in enforcement works.
“The incentive may be one of the measures taken to hinder officers from getting involved in graft or the like.
“But more than that, it is given to recognise the risks of being involved in enforcement work that those who are involved are exposed to,” he said.