EssCom’s ‘shock therapy’ approach kills Tawau

“Tawau has become a dead town now. No economic activities, less consumer demand, everything is stagnant.”

KOTA KINABALU: DAP, while fully supportive of on-going efforts in Sabah against illegal immigrants in the state, takes issue with the Eastern Sabah Security Command’s (EssCom) “shock therapy” approach along the eastern seaboard in the state covered by the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (EssZone).

Illegal workers, in the view of Sri Tanjung Assemblyman Chan Foong Hin, are part and parcel of the socio-economic structure in Sabah. The gravity of the problem, he added, can be seen from the disclosure during the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) hearings that illegal immigrants form 41 per cent of the population in Tawau, for example. “Any action against illegal workers, appropriate as they may be, must not disrupt the daily lives of our people,” he cautioned. “Illegal workers are part of us, living and spending here.”

He favours the authorities speaking softly and carrying a big stick on the illegal worker phenomenon. The question was how to differentiate between illegal immigrants and illegal workers, although the latter are illegal immigrants as well. He concedes that people are against large numbers of illegal immigrants in the state especially on security grounds. However, he added, “it’s a complicated issue.”

“If we take stern action against illegal workers for example, our people themselves will complain that we are disrupting their lives,” said Chan who is also DAP Sabah vice chairman. “We should address the issue in a more appropriate manner, step by step to reduce our dependency on the cheap labour force provided by illegals.”

“Launching a massive crack down against business premises, in the hunt for illegal immigrants, is not the right way.”

He suggests that instead of going after illegal immigrants at their work places, EssCom should be eliminating squatter settlements in Sabah which host large numbers of illegal immigrants and pose a security threat. “Go after those illegals in their squatter settlements,” he said. “By going after illegal workers, Tawau has become a dead town now. No economic activities, less consumer demand, everything is stagnant. Many restaurants and shops closed after their illegal workers were arrested.”

He noted, citing an example, that there were 4,082 houses with 8,186 households, total 19,345 residents, in all 25 illegal immigrant colonies in the Tawau district, according to statistics provided by the Minister of Housing and Local Government during the 2013 Sabah Assembly sitting. He listed some of the more notorious squatter settlements formed by illegal immigrants as mile 14 Jalan Apas, Kampung Sri Aman mile 3, Kampung Hidayat mile 4, Kampung Titingan, Kampung Tinagat and Kampung Wakuba Laut, all common names among the people in Tawau.

Chan also thinks that something should be done about stateless children begging in the streets. “There are stateless children out in the streets, begging from passing vehicles, but nothing is being done about them. Instead, EssCom is going after illegal workers at their places of employment, disrupting businesses,” said Chan. “EssCom should do something about stateless children.”

Jalan Persisiran Pantai, Sabindo, in Tawau has particularly become a gathering spot for stateless children who generally live in the streets.

EssCom’s on-going crackdown against illegal immigrants in Tawau, begun after Chinese New Year, was expected to continue until June in the present phase of operations. EssCom together with the police, immigration department and other authorities have been targeting shops and restaurants so far, and will move soon into factories, plantations and construction sites throughout the district.

Tawau hosts a large population of illegal immigrants from neighbouring Indonesia while illegal immigrants from the southern Philippines seem to have taken over Sandakan.

Lahad Datu, in between Sandakan and Tawau, was the scene of fierce fighting not so long ago between security forces and a ragtag bunch from the Sulu islands in the southern Philippines who claim that Sabah belongs to them.