MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos accounted for the largest number of illegal immigrants deported from Sabah, Malaysia since 2013, reports said.
The Sun Daily, citing Malaysian government’s news agency Bernama, said the Sabah National Security Council has repatriated 93,315 illegal immigrants to their countries of origin.
Of these number, a total of 71,912 Filipino illegal immigrants were sent back to the country over the five-year period.
Indonesia came in second with 20,264, while various nationalities accounted for the rest with 1,193.
From 1990 to January 1, 2018, the Malaysian government has deported 564,087 immigrants.
A total of 6,191 illegal immigrants of various nationalities were being detained in four temporary detention centers in the state.
The repatriation was part of the federal government’s effort to safeguard peace and security in Sabah, Sabah's National Security Council Director Datuk Rodzi Md Saad was quoted saying.
Sabah is a state of Malaysia located on the northern portion of Borneo Island—the third largest island in the world.
Last June, nine Filipinos involved in the 2013 Sabah standoff were sentenced to death by a Malaysian court.
The armed incursion, led by the followers of the late Sultan Jamalul Kiram III from Sulu, left at least 70 dead and paralyzed Lahad Datu town in Sabah for several weeks.