Two Filipino sisters -aged 11 and two - died last week from health complications following their detention in Sabah.

Abdul Timah Basi - the elder of the two - died from 'acute dehydration and compounded lack of nutrition' onboard a ferry that was also carrying her mother, younger sister Nurhaida Nurmin and other siblings.

Nurhaida, who was rushed to the Zamboanga Medical Hospital upon arriving in the Philippines, later died from pneumonia-bronchitis.

Consul-General of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur Antonio Morales confirmed the sisters' deaths.

He also confirmed that the girls were detained at the Menggatal detention centre for illegal immigrants in Sabah before being deported.

"There is an understanding between our authorities that deportees will have to undergo medical screening before this 24 hour journey back to the Philippines," Morales said.

"I will be contacting the immigration authorities in Sabah to ensure that future deportees are fit to undertake deportation travel back to the Phillippines," he added.

Morales also said the case will be investigated.

"There will be an inquiry to the Immigration department in Sabah and also to our local immigration department in Zamboanga City. I will also be contacting the Federal Task Force for an investigation," he added.

Yesterday, the Manila Bulletin Online reported that Abdul Timah had died on the ferry carrying 531 Filipinos rounded up during an immigration crackdown by Malaysian authorities in Sabah.

The ferry left Sandakan on Sept 29 and arrived at Zamboanga City the next day, said the report, which did not mention anything about Nurhaida.

No comments

Contacted later, Sabah immigration department public relations officer Verusmark Ninin declined to confirm or comment on the matter.

"We have no comment. My deputy director has no comment," he said when asked if they would launch an investigation.

There have been similar incidents in the past, including the case of two-year-old Rene Nasir who died of severe dehydration during her deportation to the Philippines.

"We cannot visit the detention centre as the regulations allow us only to see the detainees from outside. But there was probably overcrowding and insufficient water. Detainees also experienced difficulty in breathing and this posed problems for children," Morales had said last year.

In 2002, during a mass expulsion of about 10,000 Filipino illegal immigrants from Sabah, four children died from dehydration and other ailments, while there were also reports of alleged sexual abuse.