BATU JETTY

Batu Batu Jetty - used by illegal immigrants to enter and exit Tawau.

This photo at left taken on 11-4-2010, a day before 205 illegal passengers were arrested.

205 Indonesian Illegal Immigrants Arrested Off Tawau

A total of 205 illegal immigrants from Indonesia were arrested for attempting to leave Malaysia illegally on the evening of Monday 12 April 2010.

The illegal immigrants that include 55 women and 31 children, were picked up onboard a ferry off Tawau sea as they were about to leave for Nunukan, Indonesia, at 5.15pm.The illegal immigrants, aged between 3 and 58 years, were without documents.

They were brought by pete-pete outboard boat from the coast jetty (photo above) to the ferry which was moored offshore. Also arrested was the ferry's skipper.

News Source : BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com

This Batu-Batu jetty is for locals Malaysian from nearby islands. But this jetty regularly used as an illegal landing point for Indonesians in Tawau.

Indonesians coming to Tawau are supposed to land at Tawau Port but have been using this jetty to avoid the hassle of going through checks by the Malaysian authorities.

In April 2010 the death of five Indonesians, including three children, when a 12-seater boat they were traveling in with 17 others capsized off Tawau. The vessel was on its way to this jetty from Nunukan, Indonesia. After this accident General Operations Force personnel are stationed at this jetty to be on the lookout for Indonesians who landed there illegally.