KOTA KINABALU: Most of the Indonesian inmates serving jail terms in the central prison in Kepayan have committed immigration offences, according to Indonesia’s consul general, Soepeno Sahid.
He told reporters after meeting with Indonesian prisoners at the prison yesterday that out of the 2,020 people now serving jail terms there, only 190 were Indonesians.
“From the statistics garnered, most of them were persecuted under the Immigration Act. There are also a small number who are here for theft, robbery, rape and murder, but most were charged for not having documents, for overstaying, for not having a work pass and so on,” he said.
He added that those who were imprisoned under the Immigration Act were not terrorists or criminals.
Soepeno urged employers to register their Indonesian workers so that they can be issued with proper documents and avoid a similar fate befalling them.
“The operation to catch illegal immigrants without proper documents has begun on September 1. Hence I urge employers to register their Indonesian workers to avoid any untoward incidents. We can help in processing their passports at the consulate,” he said.
Meanwhile, a total of 450,000 Indonesians are presently in Sabah, 60 per cent of whom are employed while the remaining comprise of spouses and children.
“They are mainly employed in the plantation sector — the oil palm sector. There are also some at the manufacturing and building sectors. Only five per cent are actually working as domestic helpers,” Soepeno said.
The consul general added that the media had often reported incidences of domestic helpers being abused elsewhere in the country.
“Here, such an incident has not occurred,” he said.
Soepeno also mentioned that the Indonesian republic would be holding its general election in April 2014.
“We’re here to tell the prisoners that although they are prisoners, they are still the citizens of Indonesia and politically, they have a right to vote as long as they are 17 years old or were married or have married before,” he said.
He added that the consulate would be assisting them in the matter.
Soepeno also mentioned that as Indonesians, the prisoners would continue to be monitored and provided protection, empowerment and motivation from the consulate here.
Yesterday, 50 Indonesian inmates at the central prison here celebrated the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and their country’s 68th Independence Day with members of the consulate and Sabah Prison Department director SAC Suria Idris.