Light-hearted moment at Sabah RCI amidst woes
Nigel AwPublished: Jan 30, 2013 5:48 AM | Updated: Jan 30, 2013 1:55 PM
The royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah today heard about the poor living conditions of Filipino refugees in the state.
The royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah today heard about the poor living conditions of Filipino refugees in the state.
Still, there was a moment of laughter when a witness explained about a house that appeared to have significantly better ‘facilities’ than the rest.
Sioh Jabidi the head of Kampung Sungai Buaya in Tawau, one of 32 refugee villages in Sabah, said the settlement does not have electricity or water supply.
Sabah Law Association lawyer Ahmad Abdul Rahman then referred to photographs of the village submitted to the panel, and pointed out that one of the house appeared to be very different.
Ahmad: Why is it that, while everyone else is living in poor conditions, this house painted yellow and which flies a flag with stars, has Astro?
Sioh: The (Astro) agent fixed it ...
Ahmad: Is this a place where everyone gathers to watch?
Sioh: No, it belongs to someone.
Ahmad: Who pays for it?
Sioh: The owner.
Ahmad: What flag is this that is flying?
Sioh: SAPP (Sabah Progressive Party)
At this, everyone in the courtroom at Kota Kinabalu High Court complex - where the inquiry is being held - burst into laughter.
In contrast, Sioh said other villagers were forced to illegally tap electricity and water, and some have been prosecuted for this.
The village of 1,520 people also faces other problems such as drug crimes, cigarette smuggling and unemployment, he said.
Residents of the village, which sits by the sea, have to bear with rubbish when it is pushed in at high tide.
Conducting officer Jamil Aripin explained that the poor facilities in such villages may be due to the fact that they are not gazetted as refugee settlements. Only five of the 32 villages have been gazetted.
'Sabah border easily breached'
Also taking the stand were two illegal immigrants, now in detention centres, who recollected how easy it was to breach the Sabah border.
Nisa Rahmat, 30, who is being held at the Sandakan immigration detention centre, said she had slipped in by boat from Sulawesi, Indonesia after paying RM100 in 2011.
"When we arrived near Tawau, we jumped off the boat and swam to shore," she said.
Queried by lawyer Ansari Abdullah (left) if marine police or navy had attempted to stop them, she replied that there were none.
She subsequently worked at a plantation for an allowance of RM100 a month, after finding work through a man named ‘Kassim’, who is of Bugis descent.
"We deal with Kassim as our employer ... My employer is still holding RM3,500 of my pay. I was told I will get the money when I go back to Indonesia," she said.
Asked if she truly believes that she will get the money, she replied: "Yes."
Nisa was detained on Dec 2012 at an immigration roadblock while she was travelling by bus.
She explained that the reason she had entered Sabah illegally was because getting an Indonesian passport would have cost her the equivalent of some RM1,000.
However, she said she would like to return to Malaysia if given the chance, after she is deported.
Degon Amy, 33, also confined to the Sandakan immigration detention centre, related a similar story.
He had in 2002 slipped through Sabah's border with 60 others by boat, arriving at Pulau Berhala without being stopped by the authorities.
From the island, a motorboat took them, 20 at a time, to Sandakan on the mainland.
"We got off at Sandakan market. There were many people there but they did not know anything," he said.
Degon was moved to the detention centre last November to await deportation, after serving a six-month jail sentence for possession of drugs.
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Still, there was a moment of laughter when a witness explained about a house that appeared to have significantly better ‘facilities’ than the rest.
Sioh Jabidi the head of Kampung Sungai Buaya in Tawau, one of 32 refugee villages in Sabah, said the settlement does not have electricity or water supply.
Sabah Law Association lawyer Ahmad Abdul Rahman then referred to photographs of the village submitted to the panel, and pointed out that one of the house appeared to be very different.
Ahmad: Why is it that, while everyone else is living in poor conditions, this house painted yellow and which flies a flag with stars, has Astro?
Sioh: The (Astro) agent fixed it ...
Ahmad: Is this a place where everyone gathers to watch?
Sioh: No, it belongs to someone.
Ahmad: Who pays for it?
Sioh: The owner.
Ahmad: What flag is this that is flying?
Sioh: SAPP (Sabah Progressive Party)
At this, everyone in the courtroom at Kota Kinabalu High Court complex - where the inquiry is being held - burst into laughter.In contrast, Sioh said other villagers were forced to illegally tap electricity and water, and some have been prosecuted for this.
The village of 1,520 people also faces other problems such as drug crimes, cigarette smuggling and unemployment, he said.
Residents of the village, which sits by the sea, have to bear with rubbish when it is pushed in at high tide.
Conducting officer Jamil Aripin explained that the poor facilities in such villages may be due to the fact that they are not gazetted as refugee settlements. Only five of the 32 villages have been gazetted.
'Sabah border easily breached'
Also taking the stand were two illegal immigrants, now in detention centres, who recollected how easy it was to breach the Sabah border.
Nisa Rahmat, 30, who is being held at the Sandakan immigration detention centre, said she had slipped in by boat from Sulawesi, Indonesia after paying RM100 in 2011.
"When we arrived near Tawau, we jumped off the boat and swam to shore," she said.
Queried by lawyer Ansari Abdullah (left) if marine police or navy had attempted to stop them, she replied that there were none.She subsequently worked at a plantation for an allowance of RM100 a month, after finding work through a man named ‘Kassim’, who is of Bugis descent.
"We deal with Kassim as our employer ... My employer is still holding RM3,500 of my pay. I was told I will get the money when I go back to Indonesia," she said.
Asked if she truly believes that she will get the money, she replied: "Yes."
Nisa was detained on Dec 2012 at an immigration roadblock while she was travelling by bus.
She explained that the reason she had entered Sabah illegally was because getting an Indonesian passport would have cost her the equivalent of some RM1,000.
However, she said she would like to return to Malaysia if given the chance, after she is deported.
Degon Amy, 33, also confined to the Sandakan immigration detention centre, related a similar story.
He had in 2002 slipped through Sabah's border with 60 others by boat, arriving at Pulau Berhala without being stopped by the authorities.
From the island, a motorboat took them, 20 at a time, to Sandakan on the mainland.
"We got off at Sandakan market. There were many people there but they did not know anything," he said.
Degon was moved to the detention centre last November to await deportation, after serving a six-month jail sentence for possession of drugs.
Related stories
No documents, but Indian national got his blue IC
PAS veep: Uncollected MyKad, MyKid sent to Sabah?
Penang sit-in to demand blue MyKad for the stateless
Do we have an illegitimate gov't in power?
RCI must probe the masterminds behind Project M
Muddying the RCI waters to cover up the truth
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