RCI investigator: We felt like we were in a foreign land

SABAH RCI An investigator for the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah today related how they felt threatened, as if they were in a foreign land, during their visits to the water villages in Sabah.

RCI chief investigating officer Mohd Azman Mohd Sabri said an example was the team’s visit to Kampung Bangau-Bangau in Semporna.

“We felt like we were not in our country, as if Kampung Bangau-Bangau was in Zamboanga (in the Philippines).

“We felt like being in Zamboanga because in the surrounding places the residents were all from their community,” Azman testified before the panel at the Kota Kinabalu court complex this morning.

He said his team of 13 investigators faced a safety risk when entering these villages and took pains to convince the residents there that they were not enforcement officers.

“We had to give them a guarantee that they would not be arrested, that we were not there to enforce the law, but to find facts to help the RCI.

“They agreed, but we still felt threatened there because the number of foreigners was huge,” Azman said.

He added that many of those interviewed there identified themselves as coming from Zamboanga or Jolo, in the Philippines.

‘End of RCI hearings’

Azman is the 211th and final witness to testify before the RCI, which turns a year-old tomorrow, since its establishment.

From the time the team of investigators were assembled on Oct 1 last year until the conclusion of their duties on Sept 4 this year, Azman said, a total of 361 witnesses were interviewed.

They were made up of 123 government officers, 12 former Internal Security Act detainees, four authors, 12 politicians and 210 members of the public.

Among the prominent figures called were former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh.

The panel members visited 32 refugee settlements, 117 of 182 squatter areas and 65 landing grounds from the sea into Sabah during the almost year-long investigation.

Later, conducting officer Manoj Kurup (left) informed the commission, led by former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim, that the hearing stage of the RCI has concluded.

However, the RCI, which was set up on Sept 20, 2012, and expires tomorrow, has been given a three-month extension until Dec 21 to prepare its report.

“For us, the commissioners, the hard work begins from here on. We will have to go through all the evidence and exhibits.

“We will try our very best to get the report done by the end of this year, which is the end of our term,” said Shim.

The atmosphere today was light-hearted, with court officers and investigators posing for farewell pictures after the final hearing that first began in January this year.

Are all the PMs, past and present, in this together?