6,000 Malaysians among 28,000 Bajau Laut, says Saifuddin

 

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail tries his hand at the kulintangan musical instrument while on a visit to Mabul island in eastern Sabah today. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

The Bajau Laut community in Sabah numbers 28,000 people, of whom 6,200 are Malaysian citizens, with valid identity documents, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said today.

He said the figure of 28,000 came from a census conducted by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).

Other than the 6,200 Malaysians, the rest do not have identity documents, including children and heads of families.

We acknowledge the existence of this community in Sabah, and a meeting on the management of foreigners in Sabah was held yesterday, which I chaired together with the chief minister (Hajiji Noor),

 Saifuddin said.

At the meeting, we reviewed reports on the community, starting with the data from the Esscom study, and established their numbers,

 he said at a press conference in Semporna, Bernama reported.

He said the meeting included a presentation on several initiatives by the state government, concerning the community, including resettlement at Pantai Manis, with plans to develop 50 to 100 houses as a new resettlement area.

Another initiative aims to engage with heads of families, to identify those interested in working in sectors such as plantations, aquaculture, agriculture, and various other skilled areas.

This initiative has already begun. Children are placed in a centre in Kota Kinabalu with guardians, and two similar centres will be opened to help discourage begging activities,

 he said. The centre offers various self-care training classes, including basic literacy classes. - FMT