107 Indonesian illegal immigrants deported from Sabah

TAWAU: A total of 107 illegal immigrants from Indonesia were deported to their country of origin via sea route from Tawau Port here to Nunukan yesterday.

Sabah Immigration director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yusoff said they involved 96 male and 11 female detainees, aged between 14 and 63, who were sent home through the Detainee Transfer Programme.

"All of them were detainees at the Tawau and Sandakan immigration depots who committed various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/1963 and Immigration Regulations 1963.

"The punishment imposed on them is also based on the country's legal process until they are deported from Malaysia, and validated by the embassy," she said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Sh Sitti Saleha reminded foreigners entering this country to have valid travel documents and work permits to work in Sabah.

Stern action will be taken against any individual or quarter who fails to comply with the rules and laws of the country, she said.

-- BERNAMA