By Olivia Miwil
18 November 2014 @ 8:07 AM
BETTER cooperation from foreign embassies has helped reduce the length of time illegal immigrants are kept in detention centres in Sabah.
State National Security Council secretary Rodzi Md Saad said yesterday there was a time when the average detention period of
t he foreigners was about six months.
“Better collaboration between the Federal Special Task Force under the council and the respective embassies has helped shorten the average to about two months.”
The are four detention centres — in Tawau, Sandakan, Papar and here — with a total capacity to hold about 8,500 people.
Rodzi said the curfew imposed within the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (Esszone) by the police since July 19 also appeared to be helping reduce the arrival of illegal immigrants into the state.
Following a series of kidnap-for-ransom incidents in the east coast of Sabah, the authorities imposed a curfew from 7pm to 5am in six districts.
He said the council spent between RM11 million and RM13 million annually to run operations related to illegal immigrants, from the time they are detained right to when they were deported to their country of origin.
Rodzi said since 1990, a total of 498,857 immigrants were detained in Sabah, of which 399,369 have been deported and 74,210 returned on their own accord.
Those from the Philippines make up the majority or about 85 per cent of the total number of people detained as illegal immigrants.
18 November 2014 @ 8:07 AM
BETTER cooperation from foreign embassies has helped reduce the length of time illegal immigrants are kept in detention centres in Sabah.
State National Security Council secretary Rodzi Md Saad said yesterday there was a time when the average detention period of
t he foreigners was about six months.
“Better collaboration between the Federal Special Task Force under the council and the respective embassies has helped shorten the average to about two months.”
The are four detention centres — in Tawau, Sandakan, Papar and here — with a total capacity to hold about 8,500 people.
Rodzi said the curfew imposed within the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (Esszone) by the police since July 19 also appeared to be helping reduce the arrival of illegal immigrants into the state.
Following a series of kidnap-for-ransom incidents in the east coast of Sabah, the authorities imposed a curfew from 7pm to 5am in six districts.
He said the council spent between RM11 million and RM13 million annually to run operations related to illegal immigrants, from the time they are detained right to when they were deported to their country of origin.
Rodzi said since 1990, a total of 498,857 immigrants were detained in Sabah, of which 399,369 have been deported and 74,210 returned on their own accord.
Those from the Philippines make up the majority or about 85 per cent of the total number of people detained as illegal immigrants.
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