GEORGE TOWN – Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca) vice-president Datuk K. Koris Atan today called for the Home Ministry to close down the overcrowded Penang Prison, after it became a Covid-19 hotspot.
Koris said he had made similar pleas over the years to no avail.
“Now with a cluster of infected detainees, it has become more apparent that the prison needs to be relocated.”
This comes after Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s statement today asking the federal government to place the state’s remand prison and quarters under enhanced movement control order (EMCO) after 141 detainees tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday.
Today, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said EMCO will be implemented in the remand prison and living quarters starting tomorrow.
“The colonial prison has become irrelevant and unsuitable due to congestion, and poses a threat to the public living nearby.
“It is surrounded by hospitals, government staff quarters, schools, market, stadium, hawker centres and commercial buildings.”
Koris also proposed the prison land be used for the extension of Penang Hospital next door.
“Penang Hospital is also congested. It needs more wards and parking bays, among others.”
The remand prison holds 2,306 detainees while the living quarters next door have 300 staff members and their families.
On October 5, an 85-year-old detainee unconscious in his cell was rushed to the Penang Hospital. He was pronounced dead upon arrival and a post-mortem confirmed he was Covid-19 positive. – The Vibes, October 13, 2020
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