RP, Malaysia tighten watch vs illegals

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The joint naval patrol of the Philippines and Malaysia has tightened its watch on Filipinos sneaking into Malaysia through the southern backdoor.

First Admiral Mohd. Rashid Bin Harun, Area 2 commander of the Royal Malaysian Navy, said the number of Filipino illegals has grown "seriously," with an increase of over 180,000 in the past five years.

Last Wednesday, 387 deportees, 43 of them women, arrived here aboard commercial ferry M/V Danica Joy II from Sabah, Malaysia where they had been detained for weeks.

This brought to 800 the number of Filipino illegals deported by the Malaysian government in the past two weeks.

"It becomes a national problem. The efforts of the joint patrol that we have (with the Philippine Navy) is also part and parcel of the deterrent action not only in Sabah but also in the Strait of Malacca to stop the entry of illegal migrants," Harun told newsmen.

Officials of Naval Forces Western Mindanao reported that the joint patrol intercepted last month a group of Filipinos, whose motorboat had malfunctioned on their way to Malaysia, as authorities suspected.

Harun said government and non-government agencies are concerned about the growing number of Filipino illegals.

He added that Malaysians are themselves "quite worried that they might not be able to get the jobs that may be taken by the illegal migrants."

Harun said Malaysian authorities are investigating the proliferation of fake temporary residence cards which enterprising illegal aliens are selling.