Pinoys’ return from Malaysia raises alarm

ZAMBOANGA CITY (AFP) - The Philippines is grappling with an influx of its citizens fleeing neighboring Malaysia’s harsh laws against illegals.

Thousands of sun-drenched Filipinos, some risking their lives packed like sardines in small leaky boats, have been arriving daily in recent weeks in the southern Philippines from the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island.

They have been dubbed here as "boat people," a term used for the boatloads of southern Vietnamese fleeing the new communist regime in Hanoi in the late 1970’s.

In the mad rush out of Sabah through illegal fishing boats, at least eight Filipino babies have reportedly died while awaiting deportation or during their perilous journey across the porous maritime border with Malaysia.

Malaysia introduced strict laws against illegals on Aug. 1, with a mandatory six months in jail and up to six strokes of the cane for those convicted.

Officials say the "back-door entry" of Filipino returnees is stretching the limited resources of local authorities of Zamboanga Cty, and the Tawi-Tawi island chain, the southern most point of the Philippine archipelago.

"It is a serious problem which deserves national attention," Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat, of the opposition, told AFP in an interview here.