Saturday 22 June 2013

48,000 FILIPINO REFUGEES IN STATE






KOTA KINABALU: At least 48,000 people in Sabah still hold the status of refugees, the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah heard today.

As of last year, 98,066 people were holders of the IMM13, a document issued to Filipino refugees who fled the Southern Philippines conflict in the 1970s, former Sabah Immigration Department director Mohamad Mentek (photo) told the RCI in Kota Kinabalu.

Of this, he said around 48,000 of them were still active and being renewed.

“That (IMM13 document) is the best estimate we have of Filipino refugees in Sabah,” said Mohamad, who is now Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) director.

However, he noted that the figure may not be entirely accurate as some IMM13 holders have obtained entry permits and thus forfeited their IMM13 document.

Some, he said, could have also passed away or gone back to their countries.

He also explained that the continued growth in the number of IMM13 holders was due to the refugees having children in Sabah.

‘More documents issued after freeze’

“Previously, the IMM13 was issued to their children when they turn 18, but now we issue IMM13 to their children as soon as they can show their birth registration,” Mohamad said.

However, he added, no new IMM13 document was issued to those who came into Sabah after 1984, when a freeze on the IMM13 was imposed.

Even so, Mohamad conceded that the department did issue fresh IMM13 documents after the freeze to those who had entered Sabah as refugees prior to 1984 but had failed to obtain the document.

“For example, in 1997, the federal taskforce conducted a census and found that there were still some refugees who still did not have the IMM13.

“This was referred to our department, and we issued the IMM13 documents to them,” Mohamad said.

He said this was allowed under an exemption made to the freeze.

The RCI was earlier told that the IMM13 was still being issued, even as late as 2010.

The IMM13 documents were issued between 1972 and 1984 to Filipino refugees until a freeze was imposed when the conflict in Philippines wound down. (Malaysiakini)

11 comments:

  1. Kelulusan yang tiada limit akan membawa masalah yang tidak dijangka.

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  2. Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja (RCI) bagi menangani masalah berkaitan pendatang tanpa izin (PATI) di Sabah diberitahu bahawa kerajaan pada 1976 telah menubuhkan Unit Penempatan Pelarian Perang Selatan Filipina di bawah Jabatan Ketua Menteri bagi menjaga kebajikan dan hal ehwal mereka di negeri tersebut.

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  3. Bekas ketua unit itu, Abdul Jaapar Alip berkata, bermula pada 1976 hingga 1985, kerajaan mewujudkan lima skim penempatan untuk pelarian perang dari selatan Filipina di Sabah dan diwartakan oleh kerajaan itu terletak di Telipok dan Kinarut, Kota Kinabalu; Kampung Bahagia, Sandakan; Kampung Selamat, Semporna dan Kampung Hidayah di Tawau.

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  4. Katanya, sepanjang sembilan tahun pelaksanaan skim penempatan bagi yang beragama Islam dan kategori 'Orang Teranjak' tidak beragama Islam yang tinggal merata tempat di Sabah, direkodkan jumlah mereka kira-kira 73,000 orang.

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  5. Kesemua mereka terlebih dahulu ditemu duga oleh unit ini bagi membolehkan mereka mendapat status pelarian perang untuk ditempatkan di skim penempatan berkenaan.Lima syarat utama pemilihan ialah mereka mesti datang dari selatan Filipina, terlibat secara langsung dalam perang di wilayah itu, mesti datang dalam tempoh antara tahun 1970 dan 1985, beragama Islam dan sedia untuk tinggal secara tetap di Sabah.

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  6. Ditanya Manoj mengenai proses pemilihan, Abdul Jaapar berkata, rakyat asing itu ditemu duga oleh pegawai terlatih unit itu dan semasa proses itu mereka tidak membawa sebarang dokumen bagi tujuan pengesahan sebaliknya pegawai berkenaan akan mengenal pasti melalui pertuturan dan latar belakang mereka.

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  7. "Selepas proses itu selesai, pelarian diberikan resit akuan pendaftaran yang mempunyai nombor siri dan gambar, borang mereka akan dihantar kepada Jabatan Imigresen bagi dikeluarkan pas lawatan kerja sementera (IMM 13).

    "Bagi yang tinggal di skim penempatan, mereka akan diberikan sekeping kad pengenalan, bermakna mempunyai dua dokumen termasuk IMM 13," katanya.

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  8. Skim penempatan itu dihentikan selepas September 1985, iaitu semasa Sabah berada di bawah pemerintahan Kerajaan Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).Namun antara 1987 dan 1992, kerajaan negeri membuat gerakan pendaftaran orang asing di Sabah dalam dua fasa iaitu bancian setiap rumah yang diduduki rakyat asing dan fasa kedua, proses pendaftaran.

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  9. Sementara itu, Ramlah mencadangkan supaya kerajaan melaksanakan tindakan afirmatif dengan memberi pengiktirafan politik kepada golongan berkenaan dengan mengambil kira faktor kemanusiaan berdasarkan kepada kaitan hubungan sejarah, perkongsian warisan budaya dan keselamatan serta kedaulatan negara ini.

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  10. Isu ini hanya timbul selepas penubuhan Malaysia 1963, sebelum itu, ia tidak menjadi masalah. Walaupun pihak berkuasa mengusir pulang, membuat pelbagai akta tetapi mereka akan tetap datang, malah proses itu melibatkan kos amat tinggi yang terpaksa ditanggung oleh kerajaan.

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  11. Dalam apa-apa tindakan, soal keselamatan dan kedaulatan masih perlu diberikan keutamaan. Kerajaan pada masa sama juga perlu melaksanakan pelbagai program termasuk program memakmurkan negara jiran seperti yang dilaksanakan oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak terhadap kesinambungan Bangsamoro.

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