KOTA KINABALU: Human trafficking, a heinous crime threatening the country economically and socially, is closely linked to the influx of illegal immigrants, a witness told the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants here.
ASP Jimrey Anak Hillary from Bukit Aman Police anti-human trafficking unit told the Inquiry that although the human trafficking statistics in Sabah is not as serious as in other states in Malaysia, it is still poses a major threat to the entire country.
Jimrey informed the Commission that his unit had investigated 52 cases in Sabah since it was set up in 2008, following the introduction of the Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Immigrants Act in the previous year.
As of June this year, 207 human trafficking victims had been placed under interim protection order (IPO) after being rescued by the authorities, he disclosed.
Indonesians comprised the largest number of the victims, Jimrey said, followed by immigrants from the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and local Malaysians.
“We also arrested 65 individuals suspected of being involved in trafficking these victims, most of whom are Malaysians, followed by foreign nationals from the Philippines, India and Singapore,” he said.
Jimrey also noted that every country in the world undergo annual evaluation on their efforts and performance in combating human trafficking by the US Department of State, which had issued a warning that economic sanctions could be imposed against any country categorised as Tier 3.
He explained that there are four categories used in the evaluation, namely Tier 1, designated for countries with the best anti-human trafficking performance, followed by Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List and Tier 3.
Jimrey informed that Malaysia, which had previously been categorised as Tier 3 was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List after the implementation of the anti-human trafficking Act but has failed to improve its rating since then.
“Being categorised in Tier 2 Watch List is not a good thing. It means that Malaysia’s efforts do not satisfy the standard and requirements desired by international communities.
“Of course, we are doing our best to combat this crime but this a very difficult, complicated issue involving organised rings and syndicates,” he said, adding that the US had identified Malaysia as a main transit destination for human trafficking victims.
Like in many other places in the world, human trafficking in Sabah is almost always linked to the migration of workers in and out of the state, Jimrey said.
According to Jimrey, first-time immigrants are at greater risk of falling victim to human-trafficking syndicates preying on unsuspecting job seekers.
“Those who come in using agents are exposed to the risk. They are indebted to the agent who provided their passports and paid for their transportation and along the way, they may take advantage of them and sell them to syndicates,” he said.
Jimrey also said the victims are usually traded at a cost between RM7,000 to RM10,000 each, depending on their age and other factors, and most of them will end up as forced labour or be forced into prostitution.
He further explained that his unit divided the foreign victims into two categories, those who are legal and those without valid papers, the latter of which compose a majority of victims who were brought into Sabah through sea.
Jimrey disclosed that, at the national level, 647 cases had been recorded between February 2008 and June this year, involving 3,771 victims.
A majority of these victims came from Indonesia while the rest came from China, Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam and various other countries, he said.
Among the locals who had fallen victim to human trafficking, Malays made up the biggest percentage, according to Jimrey.
On the other hand, 901 suspects had been arrested, out of which 686, or 80 per cent, consist of Malaysians, most of whom are of Chinese ethnicity.