Report presence of illegal immigrants, ESSCom tells ESSZone village heads
ACP Hashim Justin said it was time for the government to make it compulsory for them to do so as they were some village heads and JKKK chairmen who failed to report the presence of illegal immigrants in their areas.
Village heads and chairmen of Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK) in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) should have a profile of their respective villages, like population composition which includes the number of illegal immigrants.
Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) deputy director (Intelligence) ACP Hashim Justin said it was time for the government to make it compulsory for them to do so as they were some village heads and JKKK chairmen who failed to report the presence of illegal immigrants in their areas.
"In fact, based on ESSCom intelligence, there are some among them (village heads and JKKK chairmen) who are in cohort and protecting the illegal immigrants.
"We do not know if there are cross border criminals among these illegal immigrants," he said at a security briefing organised by Batu Sapi UMNO in Kampung Tronglit, Pulau Timbang, near here Saturday.
The one-day programme was opened by Sekong Assemblyman Datuk Samsudin Yahya, who is also Batu Sapi UMNO division head.
Hashim said there was also need to review the jurisdiction of grassroot leaders, especially JKKK chairmen, who should monitor security, as well as presence of illegal immigrants in their respective villages.
"They should check the background of residents in their villages, including illegal immigrants, and not leave the task solely on the security forces.
"We do not want the kidnap incident at Ocean King Restaurant in Sandakan to recur in ESSZone. We believe there is involvement of inside people," he added.
On Thursday, four armed men stormed the Ocean King Restaurant and abducted a man and woman.
Must-Watch Video
Stay updated with our news