Malaysia deports 200 illegal Filipinos

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 27, 2008) – Malaysia has deported more than 200 illegal Filipinos arrested across the oil-rich state of Sabah, the Philippines foreign affairs said Monday.

It said a total of 221 Filipino deportees arrived by boat over the weekend in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu provinces and Zamboanga City. Among those deported were children and women, said Conrado Cabaquit, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Zamboanga City.

He said 138 deportees have disembarked in Tawi-Tawi and 30 others in Sulu and 53 more in Zamboanga City. Cabaquit said those who are planning to return and work to Malaysia should secure their passport so they can legally enter Sabah.

Cabaquit said the DFA has established a so-called “One Stop Processing Center” where Filipinos who want to travel to Sabah can secure all necessary documents.

The Philippine News Agency also reported that more than 500 undocumented Filipinos had been deported from Sabah earlier this month. Last month, some 900 illegal Filipinos were deported from Malaysia.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Zamboanga City said more than 9,000 undocumented Filipinos have been deported from Sabah since January up to last month. Many of those sent back home were natives of Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan provinces, all in the Muslim autonomous region and Zamboanga City and other parts of Mindanao.

And many also told tales of abuses by their Malaysian jail guards. Just early this month, a member of the Philippine Congress, Luzviminda Ilagan, accused Malaysian authorities of violating human rights of undocumented Filipinos held in various jails in Sabah, where authorities have been rounding up illegal immigrants and workers.

She said thousands of Filipinos, including women and children, are still languishing in Malaysian jails and suffering from inhumane conditions and had been deprived of their basic rights.

In July, the House of Representatives also passed a resolution calling the Committees on Overseas Workers' Affairs and the DFA to conduct an investigation into the condition of jailed Filipinos in Sabah.

Zamboanga City serves as the transit point for deportees since Malaysia began its crackdown in 2000. Hundreds of arrested Filipinos are being deported every week from Sabah and many of them had told tales of human rights abuses while in Malaysian jails.

Ilagan said the government should provide the deportees with proper housing and livelihood for them not to be tempted to leave the country again in search of a decent life.

She also urged other legislators in the lower house to take up immediate measures to protect undocumented Filipinos, most especially women and children, who face the risk of being detained and abused in Malaysian jails before they are returned to the Philippines. (With reports from Rex Montebon and Erico Rosco)

Malaysia accused of violating rights of Filipino workers in Sabah

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 4, 2008) - The Fact-Finding Committee on Sabah Deportees expressed concern over the serious human rights violations allegedly committed by Malaysian authorities against illegal Filipino workers in the oil-rich state being claimed by the Philippines.

Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said they uncovered the abuses after the fact-finding committee held an inquiry in August in Sabah, where authorities have been rounding up illegal immigrants and undocumented workers.

She said thousands of Filipinos, including women and children, are still languishing in Malaysian jails and suffering from inhumane conditions and had been deprived of their basic rights.

“Filipino detainees and those who were already deported to the Philippines have experienced severe beatings from Malaysian police while under detention,” she told reporters in a news conference here Saturday.

The Fact Finding Committee is composed of the Association for the Rights of Children in South East Asia, Migrante International, and Gabriela Women’s Party and formed to conduct investigation on the reported human rights abuses against undocumented Filipino workers and immigrants in Sabah.

Last July, the House of Representatives passed a resolution calling the Committees on Overseas Workers’ Affairs and Foreign Affairs to conduct an investigation into the human reports in Sabah.

Zamboanga City serves as the transit point for deportees since Malaysia began its crackdown in 2000. Hundreds of arrested Filipinos are being deported every week from Sabah and many of them had told tales of human rights abuses while in Malaysian jails.

Ilagan said the government should provide the deportees with proper housing and livelihood for them not to be tempted to leave the country again in search of a decent life.

She also urged other legislators in the lower house to take up immediate measures to protect undocumented Filipinos, most especially women and children, who face the risk of being detained and abused in Malaysian jails before they are returned to the Philippines. (Erico Rosco)

Malaysia Deports More Filipino Workers

Filipino deportees queue for food at a government shelter Sunday, July 20, 2008 in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga. Malaysia has deported more than 7,000 illegal Filipinos since January this year and the crackdown still continues in the oil-rich state of Sabah, which is also being claimed by the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 20, 2008) – More than 300 illegal Filipinos arrested in Sabah arrived in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga as Malaysia continued its crackdown on undocumented workers in the oil-rich state.

The deportees arrived by boat late Saturday afternoon from Sandakan City. They were herded on trucks and brought to a government refugee shelter. The deportees, mostly from Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi provinces, all in the Muslim autonomous region, would be sent back to their home after social workers gather information about them.

Malaysia also deported thousands of illegal Filipino workers since early this year. Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Hajji Aman has repeatedly appealed to Manila to speed up the repatriation of many illegal Filipino workers detained in jails, but so far nothing had been done to bring them back.

Tens of thousands of illegal Filipinos have been arrested in Sabah the past years and many of them had illegally crossed Sabah by boat from Tawi-Tawi to work in construction sites.

Philippine authorities were helpless in putting a stop to the illegal border crossing. Many boat operators in Tawi-Tawi continue to sneak into Sabah, bringing dozens of Filipinos to find work. Worse, some Malaysian policemen in Semporna and Tawau towns intercept Filipino outriggers to collect money to collect bribes from boat operators and passengers in exchange for a passage, said Abdullah.

He said operators of boats called “temper of kumpit” usually charge between P2,000 to P3,000 for each Filipino passenger illegally entering Sabah, many of them were without travel documents, but had relatives also illegally working on the island.

Many Filipinos also crossed Sabah, just 27 nautical miles from Tawi-Tawi’s Sitangkai town, as tourists but never return back only to be arrested later by immigration authorities. “Life is really difficult in Sabah, but it is harder in the Philippines because there is no job for me, for us Muslim. In Sabah, there is always an opportunity to find a job in palm plantations or in constructions sites,” the deportee said.

Malaysia began a crackdown on up to 500,000 illegal foreign workers since 2005 and police and immigration authorities and volunteer squads have been conducting searches that extended from construction sites in Kuala Lumpur to oil palm plantations in Sabah.

The Philippines’ Foreign Affairs said as many as 300 illegal Filipinos are being deported from Malaysia every week. Since January this year, more than 7,000 illegal Filipinos had been deported to the Philippines.

Kuala Lumpur had previously given amnesty that allowed illegal immigrants to leave the country with a promise they could return as legal workers once they received proper documents.

The government's tough action has enjoyed popular support in Malaysia, where illegal workers, who had numbered more than a million in a country of 24 million people, have been blamed for crime and other social ills.Malaysia said the illegal workers do not pay tax and put a heavy burden on state services, such as education and health care, increasing pressure on an already high budget deficit.

Some Filipino deportees said they were herded into overcrowded detention camps before being expelled and others reported tales of abuses inside Malaysian jails.

Filipino lawmaker Luzviminda Ilagan said many of those deported to Zamboanga City had suffered inhumane treatment in Malaysian jails. She urged Manila to look into the poor condition of Filipinos languishing in jails in Malaysia and to take immediate steps to help them. "There were complaints from the deported Filipinos that they were held in poorly maintained jails, not given enough food, and not provided proper health care,” she said.

Filipino Muslims who were deported said they had been forced to work illegally in Sabah because the Philippine government and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao failed to provide them livelihood opportunities back home.

Many also decried the discrimination in Zamboanga City where Christian employers flatly reject Muslim job seekers for fear they are criminals or had relatives in the Abu Sayyaf and other rebel groups. The discrimination, they said, was heightened after the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks on the United States. (Mindanao Examiner)

Malaysia Deports Filipino Workers

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 14, 2008) – Malaysia has deported at least 250 illegal Filipino workers arrested in the oil-rich state of Sabah, Philippine authorities said on Monday.

It said the Filipino deportees, mostly Muslims, arrived by boat in Zamboanga City at the weekend and were staying in refugee shelters under the care of social workers.

The Filipinos were mostly natives of Tawi-Tawi and Sulu provinces who illegally crossed the border to Sabah to find work.

Malaysia has repeatedly told the Philippines to speed up the repatriation of many illegal Filipino workers detained in jails.Sabah’s Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Hajji Aman told Filipino lawmakers led by Rep. Nur Jaafar, of Tawi-Tawi, who visited Sabah in January to expedite the return of the arrested Filipinos.

“This has been a longstanding issue that we in Sabah have been dealing with. I once again request the Philippine authorities to expedite the documentation of their nationals so that they can be repatriated to their country of origin,” he said.

“We don’t want the social problems that usually come along with the presence of illegal immigrants," the Minister said.

Jaafar was accompanied by Reps. Yusop Jikiri, of Sulu province and Filipino Ambassador to Malaysia Victoriano Lecaros.

Tens of thousands of illegal Filipinos have been arrested in Sabah the past years and many of them had illegally crossed the island by boat from Tawi-Tawi to work in construction sites despite a strict government campaign.

Many of them crossed Sabah without passports. Others were duped by illegal recruiters who promised them work in hotels and resorts in Malaysia, but ended up without jobs and money and had been forced to work in palm oil plantations under constant fear of being arrested.

Malaysia began a crackdown on up to 500,000 illegal foreign workers since 2005 and police and immigration authorities and volunteer squads have been conducting searches that extended from construction sites in Kuala Lumpur to oil palm plantations in Sabah.

Kuala Lumpur had previously given amnesty that allowed illegal immigrants to leave the country with a promise they could return as legal workers once they received proper documents.

The government's tough action has enjoyed popular support in Malaysia, where illegal workers, who had numbered more than a million in a country of 24 million people, have been blamed for crime and other social ills.

Malaysia said the illegal workers do not pay tax and put a heavy burden on state services, such as education and health care, increasing pressure on an already high budget deficit. Some Filipino deportees said they were herded into overcrowded detention camps before being expelled and others reported tales of abuses inside Malaysian jails.

Philippine lawmaker Luzviminda Ilagan on Monday said many of those deported to Zamboanga City on Saturday had suffered inhumane treatment in Malaysian.
“The imprisonment of 250 undocumented Filipinos in Sabah was illegal. Their detention without proper trial and means is in violation of universal rights and laws,” Ilagan said.

She urged Manila to look into the poor condition of Filipinos languishing in jails in Malaysia and to take immediate steps to help them. “There were complaints from the deported Filipinos that they were held in poorly maintained jails, not given enough food, and not provided proper health care. A woman deportee even gave birth inside a Malaysian jail. Even if she were an undocumented migrant, she should have received medical attention,” she said.

In 2002, an alliance of Filipino migrant groups called Migrante boycotted Malaysian Airlines to dramatize their protests on the inhuman treatment of jailed illegal Filipino workers. It also urged Filipinos to stop patronizing other Malaysian services and to stop buying Malaysian products.

Filipino Muslims who were deported said they had been forced to work illegally in Sabah because the Philippine government failed to provide them livelihood opportunities back home.

Many also decried the discrimination in Zamboanga City where Christian employers flatly reject Muslim job seekers for fear they are criminals or had relatives in the Abu Sayyaf and other rebel groups. The discrimination, they said, was heightened after the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks on the United States. (Mindanao Examiner)

Pinoy Patungong Sabah, Binalaan!

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 21 Mar) – Nagbabala ang awtoridad kahapon laban sa mga nagnanais na pumasok ng illegal sa Sabah, Malaysia na kung saan ay matindi ang crack down sa mga walang dokumento at papeles.

Ilang ulit na rin nagbigay ng babala ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) ukol sa pagpasok sa Sbah ng mga Pinoy na walang papeles o passport. Talamak ang tawiran mula sa lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi patungong Sabah sa kabila ng mahigpit na kampanya ng Philippine Navy.

Nuong Sabado lamang ay mahigit sa 300 mga Pinoy na dinakip sa Sabah ang dumating sa Zamboanga City. Mahigit na rin 2,000 ang ma illegal na Pinoy ang pinabalik sa bansa mula pa ng Enero, ayon sa Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) sa Zamboanga City.

Sinabi ni local DSWD spokesperson Fe Dela Cruz na nasa mabuting kalagayan umano ang huling batch ng mga deportees. Batay sa record ng DSWD ay 232 sa mga dumating ay kalalakihan. Hindi naman nabatid kung ilan ang babae at bata sa nasabing grupo.

Agad naman silang binigyan ng tulong ng DSWD at pinabalik na rin umano ang ibagng mga deportees sa kani-kanilang lugar at karamihan ay mga Muslim na nanggaling sa Basilan, Sulu at Tawi-Tawi.

Nanawagan ang DFA sa mga nais na magtungo sa Sabah na kumuha ng passport at iba pang mga dokumento upang maiwasan ang anumang problema. Mahigpit ang sa Malaysia sa kasalukuyan dahil sa dami ng mga ilegal doon, bukod sa Pinoy ay may mga Indian at Thailander sa nasabing bansa.

Karamihan sa mga deportees ay walang papeles at nagtungo ng ilegal sa Sabah upang doon makipagsapalaran. Hirap umano ang buhay sa Basilan, Sulu at Tawi-Tawi at walang kasuguhan sa kinabukasan ng kanilang pamilya. (Mindanao Examiner)

Malaysia Deports Undocumented Filipinos

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Feb) - Some 300 illegal Filipinos arrested in Malaysia had arrived Saturday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines after spending several months in jail.

Many of those arrested had illegally crossed Sabah by boat from Tawi-Tawi province to work in construction sites.

Others were duped by illegal recruiters who promised them work in hotels and resorts in Malaysia, but ended up without jobs and money and had been forced to work in palm oil plantations under constant fear of being arrested.

Last week, more than 270 illegal Filipinos were also deported here as Malaysia continued its crackdown on foreigners staying illegally in the oil-rich state, just 4 hours by boat from the Filipino island of Sitangkay off Tawi-Tawi province.

Malaysia began a crackdown on up to 500,000 illegal foreign workers since 2005 conducting searches that extended from construction sites in Kuala Lumpur to oil palm plantations in Sabah. The round-up usually involved police, immigration and volunteer squads.

Many of the deportees were Muslims from the southern Philippines who had lived for years in Sabah.

The Malaysian government had previously given amnesty that allowed illegal immigrants to leave the country with a promise they could return as legal workers once they received proper documents.

The government's tough action has enjoyed popular support in Malaysia, where illegal workers, who had numbered more than a million in a country of 24 million people, have been blamed for crime and other social ills.

Kuala Lumpur said the illegal workers do not pay tax and put a heavy burden on state services, such as education and health care, increasing pressure on an already high budget deficit.

Some Filipino deportees said they were herded into overcrowded detention camps before being expelled and others reported tales of abuses inside Malaysian jails. (Mindanao Examiner)