Sabah Immigration director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof stated that the deportees ranged in age from two months to 69 years and comprised 123 men, 72 women, and 37 children. They were previously detained at the Immigration Depots in Kota Kinabalu, Papar, and Sandakan.
"The eighth series of this sea repatriation programme for illegal immigrants was carried out in cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kota Kinabalu, utilising two express ferries - Purnama Express and Francis Express," she said in a statement today.
She added that the operation was conducted according to national legal procedures and with verification from the embassy of the detainees' home country.
She also advised all foreign nationals to ensure they have valid travel documents or work permits before entering Sabah, as enforcement operations are ongoing.
-- BERNAMA
