Semporna resort had no licence, no expat approval and seven Chinese ‘tourists’ on staff

Immigration officers checking the documents of the tourists from China alleged to have misused their Social Visit Passes to work in an illegal resort in Semporna, Sabah during an operation on November 9, 2026. — Daily Express pic

First Published: Wednesday, 11 Nov 2026 9:41 AM MYT

TAWAU, Nov 11 — Seven male tourists from China were arrested for allegedly misusing their Social Visit Passes to work at a tourist resort suspected operating illegally in Semporna.

They were among 32 foreigners detained during a two-day Sabah Immigration Department operation in Tawau and Semporna, which began on Sunday.

Sabah Immigration Department Director Datuk Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said her team inspected six premises and 324 individuals during the operation.

The seven were arrested at a tourist resort for allegedly breaching the conditions of their Social Visit Passes by working there. An eighth detainee, a Filipino man, was arrested at a market.

Nine Chinese nationals and five locals were initially checked at the resort.

Further investigations found that the premises had no expatriate application, was rented on a 4.4-acre plot and did not have a Semporna District Council licence or a tourism operating licence.

“The inspections in Tawau on Sunday involved 159 locals, 42 Indonesians and 17 Filipinos.

“Twenty-four foreigners, comprising 14 Indonesians and 10 Filipinos, were detained in Tawau,” she said, Tuesday.

She said inspections involving 106 individuals in Semporna on Monday resulted in the arrest of another eight foreigners.

She said the team also inspected a construction company with six expatriate workers at Batu 1, 1.5 Jalan Bubul.

However, checks found that all six workers had valid pass extensions and complied with the requirements for the second phase of a commercial development project.

All those detained were investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and taken to the Tawau Immigration Office for further action.

“We remind all employers to comply with the procedures for hiring foreign workers and ensure that their workers’ documents, particularly approvals from the relevant authorities, are valid and registered,” she said.

The two-day operation, led by Saleha, involved 60 immigration officers in Tawau and 42 in Semporna, including senior officers from the state and district levels. — Daily Express