Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing
SIBU (August 1): Locals who aid in the smuggling in of illegal immigrants without quarantine and adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are in fact contributing to more Covid-19 outbreaks, Bintulu MP Dato Seri Tiong King Sing said.
He said based on Bintulu Health Department confirmed case data, no fewer than five Indonesian workers had entered Bintulu district illegally without being tested properly first in recent days.
“There are no official entry and exit records for migrant workers who enter Sarawak through illegal means, via ‘jalan tikus’. This makes it difficult for the Health Department to conduct contact tracing and arrange for isolation and testing of close contacts. This is a huge time bomb waiting to explode into more outbreaks,” he said in a media statement..
Tiong expressed alarm over some locals who would stoop to collude with migrant workers and their intermediaries by smuggling them in through various means like hiding in lorries, cold storage trucks, container lorries, and others to enter the oil palm estates.
“It is known that the fees charged by these local intermediaries can run up to more than RM2,000 per head. Huge profits but suffice to say that, myself, and other responsible people, are extremely disappointed with these local intermediaries and employers who could bargain away the health and pandemic prevention of their country for selfish gains.”
Besides failing to conduct two-week entry quarantine with two tests in accordance with the SOPs, he said their acts also violated the immigration laws by illegally crossing the national border and so many districts all the way to Bintulu.
Although the employers of these illegal workers have arranged for them to undergo Covid-19 screening before formally reporting for work, Tiong said these employers failed to consider the number of people that their illegal workers could potentially have been in close contact with throughout the smuggling process.
“This is incredibly irresponsible and short sighted. It would guarantee that Bintulu will not achieve the zero-confirmed-case goal.
“In the absence of official records, it is very difficult to determine how long these foreign workers have stayed in various places prior to Bintulu.
“We know that a few of the confirmed cases among the Indonesian migrant workers have spent a month in various districts before entering Bintulu, just imagine how many people they have met during that time. How many of such illegal migrant workers are actually hiding in our communities and potentially causing silent outbreaks?”
Tiong said once any oil palm estate was detected with a confirmed case, it must be closed for 14 days or longer if needed at the company’s or owner’s cost in order to contain further outbreaks.
“Lack of border controls creates loopholes that endanger the community.”
Commenting further, Tiong also called on the Immigration Department to tighten the controls at the border by increasing enforcement officers at key points to detect and prevent migrant workers from illegally entering the country.
“Police must help Immigration by coordinating their efforts in this mission. They must take the control of the borders seriously and ensure that our public are not indirectly harmed by the entry of undocumented workers who could also worsen the pandemic in Sarawak.”
Tiong said nobody should be complacent as the Health Department starts to vaccinate foreign workers by thinking that it is alright to also start bringing in more workers.
He said any party suspected of smuggling in illegal workers is subjected to Article 15 of the Anti-trafficking In Persons and Anti-smuggling Of Migrants Act 2007 while Article 6(1) of the Immigration Act 1959 provides for fines and imprisonment.
He said the drivers with a role in transporting smuggled migrant workers into the country must be reminded that vaccination does not mean immunity against any risk of infection.
“Infected vaccinated people can still transmit the virus to their wives, children and other people around them.
“Locals who help in bringing in migrant workers can read the news of what happens with victims of Covid-19. Even shipping containers are being turned into morgues. Do they want to be the next victims?”
He said it was reported that even after receiving their two doses, seven people were still confirmed to be positive with Covid-19.
“Therefore, the public must again be reminded that the vaccines are not ‘magic bullets’ that can guarantee total immunity from the coronavirus. They must still exercise caution from being infected and to prevent transmissions from occurring.
“Some areas in Bintulu have also begun to show signs of another outbreak, which include factories, construction sites, and workshops which have been difficult to monitor and ensure compliance with the SOPs. Longhouses along Jalan Bintulu-Miri and Kuala Tatau also show sporadic confirmed cases.”
Tiong also appealed to the tuai rumah (longhouse chiefs) to increase their vigilance and remind their residents to take the SOPs seriously and not to hold any gatherings or festivities for now.
“The Health Department and law enforcement agencies must continue to heighten their monitoring by organising surprise inspections of factories and businesses to check on compliance.
“Violators must be fined and their workers reminded to comply with the SOPs. Although it is the people’s choice to follow the SOPs, they have no ground to complain about the government or authorities enforcing the compliance for the greater good of everyone’s health and safety.
“With Bintulu’s increasing vaccination numbers and the gradual relaxation of various Covid-19 prevention SOPs, the private sector has not learnt the value of prudent caution against the pandemic.
“No matter – in factories, workplaces, shopping centres – there is no proper control of the SOPs.
“The flow of people without compliance with the SOPs have become even more lax. Patrolling police can see people having barbeque gatherings in the open even when confirmed cases have been detected in the housing areas.”
He said 27 new confirmed cases in Bintulu reported on July 30 was the true picture that nobody should be complacent.
“There should be no confusion: outbreaks of confirmed cases are never far away. To start to take it for granted and prematurely relax our compliance with the SOPs could wipe away all the efforts and sacrifice we have made so far, especially the work of our frontline personnel.”
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