KOTA KINABALU: Resorts operating in the 10 districts under the East Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) have been ordered to sack all their illegal immigrant workers within 24 hours.
Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) director general Datuk Mohammad Mentek, who gave the order yesterday, also issued seven guidelines to resort operators which would take effect immediately.
Mohammad said ESSCom would carry out spot checks on resorts and those found to be in violation of the regulations and guidelines would face stern action, including prosecution and revocation of their licences.
Mohammad made the announcement during a dialogue between ESSCom and resort operators in the ESSZone here yesterday.
He said this was the fourth dialogue with resort operators. The first dialogue was chaired by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.
Mohammad said ESSCom and resort operators have discussed ways to step up security in resorts and prevention of abduction during the dialogue.
During the meeting, Mohammad issued seven guidelines to resort operators which the latter must adhere to.
Failure to do so would result in serious consequences, including a proposal by ESSCom to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to revoke the resort operator’s licence.
The seven guidelines are as follows:
1. All resort operators in the ESSZone must employ trained security personnel to be stationed at their respective premises. This is because many security personnel in resorts are found to be untrained, some are even part-time gardeners or handymen who moonlight as security personnel at night.
Mohammad said ESSCom would obtain a staff list from the Local Government and Housing Ministry and carry out spot checks on resorts to ensure the resorts employed trained security personnel.
He said resorts might need time to employ trained security personnel. However, during the transition period, each resort must at least have a person in charge of informing the police as soon as something happens at the resort.
2. All resorts in the ESSZone are banned from employing illegal immigrants.
Regrettably, Mohammad said there were still resorts which employed illegal immigrants after the murder cum kidnapping of Taiwanese tourists on Pom Pom Island in November last year.
He said ESSCom had carried out a large scale operation against illegal immigrants after the abduction case on Pom Pom Island.
Eight illegal foreign workers were arrested from the resorts operating in the ESSZone following the operation.
After the abduction of a Chinese tourist and Filipino worker from Singamata Adventures Reef and Resort on April 2 this year, ESSCom carried out three spot checks on resorts on April 7 and 8, and arrested 25 employed illegal immigrants.
Mohammad said some resort operators even hid their illegal workers in guest rooms to avoid arrest by enforcement units.
He condemned such acts, saying that it was irresponsible to do so, adding that a report had been submitted to Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman, both of whom had agreed to take stern action against these operators.
“If the operators are uncooperative, they will certainly face stern action. It will not be a surprise to see them prosecuted in court for harboring illegal immigrants,” he warned, and ordered resort operators to sack the illegal immigrants under their employment.
3. Resort operators in the ESSZone must submit a list of their employees every three days for ESSCom to monitor the workers’ background.
Mohammad expected to receive the employees’ list from all resort operators in the ESSZone in the next seven days.
He said there were a total of eight island resorts in the ESSZone, including six in Semporna and two in Sandakan.
Meanwhile, there are 32 river resorts along Kinabatangan river.
4. All resorts in the ESSZone must install security equipment, including closed circuit television (CCTV), surveillance towers, sufficient floodlights, efficient communications system and so on.
5. All resorts in the ESSZone must cooperate with security forces. Previously, some resort operators have refused to allow security personnel to patrol in the resort. These operators even refused to allow security forces to carry their firearms on their resort and demanded that the personnel don plain clothing before they could enter the resorts.
6. Resort operators are instructed to reflect necessary information to ESSCom. If security forces were found to be negligent or lazy, operators should immediately reflect the issue to ESSCom or Mohammad himself.
7. Resort operators should employ locals. Mohammad said resort operators employed illegal immigrants as they could converse in English and work for low salary. However, it was hard to uncover the background of illegal immigrant workers.