General : Foreignersâ Illegal Economic Activities In Semporna Raised In Federal Cabinet
SEMPORNA, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- The issue of foreigners abusing social visit passes to engage in illegal economic activities in Semporna has been raised and discussed in the Federal Cabinet, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
Semporna's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud has informed the Federal Cabinet about the issue of foreign nationals exploiting social visit passes for illicit economic activities in the region. The government is addressing the matter seriously and is conducting targeted enforcement operations, particularly on popular tourist islands near Sabah.
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) is also involved in taking suitable action against these illegal business practices. The Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) published a special series of reports in August, revealing how foreign investors were illegally monopolizing the district's tourism economy, putting local security and livelihoods at risk.
The Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) reported numerous instances of foreigners using fraudulent partnerships or leveraging local proxies through "Ali Baba" arrangements to control services, resorts, and tourism facilities, thus facilitating various criminal activities like scam centers. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has directed ESSCom to collaborate with relevant authorities in joint enforcement operations to combat this issue.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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