SABAH RCI Non-citizens outnumber citizens in squatter areas in the two main cities on the east coast of Sabah, Tawau and Sandakan, the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) heard today.

The illegal migrant problem is 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 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 2012 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.

Kassim also explained that the statistics were categorised according to state electoral constituencies in order to encourage elected representatives to push for more public housing in their constituencies.

He said the squatters posed a security risk with “petty crime, syabu trafficking, cigarette and turtle egg smuggling, jury-rigging of electricity and water supply theft widespread” in these areas.

In Tawau, city council enforcement officer Majid Patola said that of 19,455 squatter inhabitants, 11,904 are non-citizens.

When asked, however, he said he was not sure if the high number of non-citizens is due to Tawau’s proximity to the Philippines.

Cholera outbreak

Majid said that improper waste disposal and lack of clean water in these dense areas had frequently caused an outbreak of cholera.

“We had worked with the Health Department to conduct sanitising operations ( sembur ) to control the outbreak,” he said.

Kota Kinabalu City Council enforcement officer Amir Izzat Romeo Abdullah, meanwhile,  testified that his officers received verbal and physical threats, and had their vehicles damaged during operations at the squatter areas.

Ranau Municipal Council officer Tiam @ Duhimin Gilong said that children of immigrants in the district were “prone to begging”, while Penampang enforcement officer Nelson Johnivies said that children of immigrants there were not enrolled in schools and were roaming the streets.

The seven witnesses from local government authorities who testified today said that while the foreign migrants caused social problems, they had contributed to the economy.

They all agree that the migrants are cheap labour for the construction and agriculture industry and do not pose competition for locals seeking employment.

The proceedings will continue tomorrow.

'11 times more new citizens in Sabah than in Sarawak'