KUCHING, June 25: The Sarawak government must exercise its immigration autonomy to control the influx of undesirable elements.
In making the call, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) information chief William Mangor said this could be done because the state government had been restricting the entry of certain politicians from the peninsula, for instance.
“We should impose this same ruling on people from countries with high criminal records. This can be done at the port of entry by immigration personnel and the police,” he said in a statement today.
William was commenting on a statement by Movement for Change Sarawak (MoCS) chairman Francis Paul Siah yesterday. Siah had called on the state government to take immigration issues seriously. He also announced that a study was being conducted on the rising number of foreigners in semi-rural areas across the state.
William claimed that many immigrants had applied for work permits and some are married to locals. Eventually, they would get permanent resident (PR) status, he reckoned.
“Their stay in semi-rural areas is rather suspicious while making it difficult for the authorities to trace them. If this issue is not resolved, Sarawak might end up exactly like Sabah or become a breeding ground for some untoward activities,” he cautioned. — DayakDaily
