While past fact-finding missions on the plight of Filipinos in Sabah have put forward recommendations alleviating their lives and welfare, especially the undocumented, the Malaysian government continued to conduct rows of arrests, crackdowns and deportations. Maltreatment and other human rights violations in relation to these crackdowns have not only been reported in the media but were documented and submitted to higher authorities for immediate and strategic actions.
While past fact-finding missions on the plight of Filipinos in Sabah have put forward recommendations alleviating their lives and welfare, especially the undocumented, the Malaysian government continued to conduct rows of arrests, crackdowns and deportations. Maltreatment and other human rights violations in relation to these crackdowns have not only been reported in the media but were documented and submitted to higher authorities for immediate and strategic actions.
In light of the Sabah crisis, Malaysian police and authorities appear to be more emboldened, if not vitually given license, to intensify such crackdowns and human rights violations following the Aquino government’s stance on the Sabah claim and its refusal to engage in a peaceful resolution to the dispute.