Lawyers for Liberty(LFL) said yesterday that it was necessary to consider the rights of migrants while conducting the Royal Commission of Inquiry(RCI) in Sabah, as some were legitimate and may have acquired accompanying rights.

In a press statement , LFL said that the RCI should recognise that migrants in the state could be legal, while other could have acquired their citizenship through naturalisation or by birth.

"Sabah like any other bustling frontier territory attracts both short and long term cross border migration, some entered and stayed legally, others illegally.

illegal immigrants roundup 010305 group "However, in our endeavour to enquire into wrongful past practices, we must be mindful that these are generations of migrants and refugees with varying histories and circumstances, many of whom have permanently settled in Sabah, intermarried, or were born and have lived their lives in the state," said LFL co-founder and advisor Eric Paulsen.

LFL noted that while it supported the RCI, it was worried that the cause had been overly politicised.

It called on all parties to remain levelheaded, and not to allow prejudice and xenophobia to slant the enquiry.

"While the issues at stake are serious and have far reaching consequences, the citizenship and fundamental human rights of persons should not be sacrificed for the sake of political mileage or sensationalism," said LFL.

The purpose of the RCI is to investigate the legality of issuance of identity cards to immigrants in Sabah. The five-member panel of the RCI is headed by former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim and it will have six months to complete its investigations.