KOTA KINABALU, The digital registration programme implemented since September 2022 has recorded data from 39,276 foreigners in Sabah, the State Legislative Assembly was told today. Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan said of the total, 21,994 were foreign workers while 17,282 were their dependents. He said the programme's initial phase, managed by Smart Sabah Corporation Sdn Bhd, focused on implementing digital registration in the agriculture and construction sectors. 'The initial phase is concentrated on these two sectors because they have the highest number of foreigners and also a high demand for labour in the 3D category, which stands for Dirty, Difficult and Dangerous. This programme ensures that foreign workers have valid documents to work in Sabah. 'The data collection of these foreigners is based on a data matrix guided by the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963,' he said in response to a question from Datuk Ewon Benedick (PH-Kadamaian) rega rding the current status of the digital registration programme. Nizam said the programme collected foreigners' biometric data and personal information using the Sabah Workers Integrated Management System (SWIMS). Five plantation companies -- Kumpulan Sawit Kinabalu, Sabah Softwood Berhad, Benta Wawasan Sdn Bhd, FGV Plantations and Cepat Wawasan Group Berhad -- have been involved in the exercise so far. 'The state government will not compromise on security issues involving illegal immigrants in Sabah and the Immigration Department and other enforcement agencies will continuously conduct operations to detain and deport these individuals,' he said. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister III cum Sabah Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said that traffic volume is among the key indicators in determining the alignment of Phase 1 of the Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah, currently being implemented. 'We indeed aim to include all federal roads in Sabah in this project, but for Phase 1, we are looking at traffic volume thr ough federal roads first. We will strive for a broader network, especially in the interior areas, in Phase 2 and 3,' he said. He said this in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Rubin Balang (GRS-Kemabong) regarding the government's plans to extend the project to the interior areas of Sabah, especially the Kimanis-Keningau-Nawawan-Kalabakan-Tawau stretch. Source: BERNAMA News Agency
