GEORGE TOWN – Housing ethnic Rohingya in temporary detention centres for an unspecified period of time is not a solution while Malaysia sorts out their immigration status, said rights groups.
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia commissioner Jerald Joseph has called on the Home Ministry to end the unspecified detention terms especially for ethnic Rohingya.
He told The Vibes that Malaysia is struggling to cope with the influx and is forced to house them at temporary depots while figuring out their immigration status.
“Some are detained for an unspecified term because it is obvious the detainees do not want to return to Myanmar due to their claims of wonton persecution in their home country. But we need to figure out how to better handle them.”
He suggested that authorities set a time frame to process detainees at immigration depots while working to mitigate the growing number of ethnic Rohingya in the country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in an email to The Vibes that the organisation has not received approval from immigration authorities to access detention centres since August 2019.
A spokesperson added that UNHCR is saddened over the news of six individuals who died in a road accident during their escape from the Sg Bakap temporary detention depot yesterday.
Meanwhile, Centre for Integrity, Professional Governance and Advancement president Myocho Kan said the authorities should review the conditions in detention centres to prevent overcrowding, especially to curb the spread of Covid-19.
He also called for a long-term and sustainable plan to address issues concerning migrants.
In a report presented to Parliament last month, the Home Ministry said there are a total of 180,448 immigrants who are cardholders and asylum seekers under UNHCR.
Of this, 155,406 are from Myanmar and the majority are ethnic Rohingya (103,380).
Yesterday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin confirmed that all the runaway detainees were ethnic Rohingyas who were placed in custody after they were found off the country’s west coast during an exodus in 2020.
“In this matter, I want to stress that Malaysia does not recognise refugees and their presence here is purely based on humanitarian reasons,” he said in a statement.
Kg Relau resident Syamsuddin Che Adni told The Vibes yesterday that he was shocked to see hundreds of detainees fleeing the Sg Bakap immigration depot, shouting “bebas!” (free) as they went.
He said he was returning home after having his sahur meal when he and some friends approached the escapees to strike up a conversation.
“They told us that some of their friends died in the detention centre and were not given medication when they were ill.”
As of 1pm yesterday, some 171 immigration detainees remain at large as police believe that they are heading to the Klang Valley, said Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.
It is believed that more were captured last night as Kedah and Penang police launched Ops Kesan and Ops Cantas to track down the detainees. – The Vibes, April 21, 2022
