'Two-thirds of Sandakan squatters are migrants'

SABAH RCI The illegal migrant problem in so severe in Sandakan that the coastal parts of the town become a ghost town whenever there is a raid by the municipal council and related agencies to nab undocumented workers.

Asked during the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) hearing if he agrees that the city becomes “empty” on such days, Sandakan council enforcement officer Kassim Selamat said: “I cannot deny this.”

In fact, he said, the council’s census found that close to two-thirds of squatter area inhabitants within the town limits are non-citizens.

He said that out of 32,095 people living in the 43 squatter colonies, 19,370 are non-citizens.

“I cannot deny the fact that the east coast of Sabah and Sandakan, especially, has a lot of illegal immigrants... the influx is out of control.

“I cannot say for sure where they are from but most are from Mindanao (in the south of the Philippines),” he said at the Kota Kinabalu High Court.

Asked by RCI panel chairperson Steve Shim why non-citizens outnumber citizens there, conducting officer Jamil Aripin said that it is likely as Sandakan is located close to the Philippines.

“Most would come through Sandakan, this could be one of the reasons,” he said.

[More to follow]