TAWAU : Villagers of the coastal Kampung Batu Payung here foiled an attempt by 13 Indonesian illegal immigrants to sneak into Tawau last night.

They caught the seven men, five women and a girl as well as two local men who were driving them in two vehicles along the coast, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman said today.

The Indonesians, from Sungai Nyamuk in Indonesia, and the two local men, all aged between two and 49, were handed over to security forces personnel by the villagers, he said in a statement.

He said the immigrants, who had no travel documents, claimed to have come from Sungai Nyamuk in a boat.

Ahmad Fuad praised the villagers and the Rukun Tetangga community as well as the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel for being the "eyes and ears" of the security forces in preventing the entry of illegal immigrants into Sabah.

He also expressed the hope that the people in the east coast will help provide information on any attempt by illegal immigrants to enter the state.

-- BERNAMA