KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said no Human Rights Watch (HRW) representative had come forward to meet him over allegations of abuse at Immigration detention depots.
The ministry has stated its intention to meet the non-governmental organisation (NGO) face to face to answer those allegations but has yet to receive any feedback from HRW.
He said HRW had issued an unreasonable report as the Immigration Department always did its best to ensure the welfare of detainees housed in detention depots and has compromised, even with those who overstayed.
“There are illegal immigrants from the Philippines and the United States (US) who have long been in this country, like eight to nine years.
“For instance, when asked, they say they are US citizens, but when checked with the US embassy, they do not acknowledge the detainee,” he said in a press conference tonight during an Immigration Department event at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot.
Saifuddin added in such instances, even though the identities of these individuals remained unknown, the Immigration Department still looked after them.
“Suddenly, there is an HRW report claiming we are abusive. If they really want to protect human rights, they should help us manage them better. This is what HRW should assist us with,” he said.
The minister said there are 20 immigration depots in Malaysia which can hold approximately 20,450 detainees, but as of March 31 this year, the number of detainees housed at the depots stands at 13,530 people, which is well under capacity.
On government expenses for depot detainees, Saifuddin said RM122,645,458.48 was issued for repatriation costs, utility management, food, drink, and basic necessities.
“The government also has prepared RM209.2 million in allocations to upgrade the detention depot at Lenggeng in Negeri Sembilan, Pekan Nanas in Johor, Bekenu in Sarawak, as well as Sandakan and Tawau in Sabah, which are expected to be completed by June 9.
“The upgrades include security fences, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and security alarms for monitoring control,” he said.
— Bernama
