Sabah National Security Council (NSC) director Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the deportation was the 23rd this year, including ones that involved Indonesian immigrants.

“This brings the overall total number of immigrants deported this year to 5,645,” she said.

Sitti Saleha said that as part of efforts to break the Covid-19 chain of infection, all detainees were screened before being sent home, and those who failed the screening would undergo treatment first.

She also said strict hygiene standards were practised throughout the deportation process.