Saifuddin rubbishes report claiming migrants 'tortured' at detention centres

KUALA LUMPUR: Allegations that migrants and refugees are being abused at Immigration detention centres are false, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

The Home Minister hit back at the allegations in a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently and said that HRW had failed to provide evidence to the government when the human rights body was asked to do so.

“Where is the evidence? Which camp? Not even a shred of evidence was provided and yet they (HRW) lectured the entire world using the report,” Saifuddin said at Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (March 12).

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The HRW report titled “We Can’t See The Sun, Malaysia’s Arbitrary Detention of Migrants and Refugees” claimed how officers meted out punishments for noise, smoking, asking questions or raising concerns about the conditions, talking to the adjacent block, fighting or for having cell phones or others.

The report also claimed that ill-treatment and inadequate medical care have led to hundreds of deaths in immigration detention centres.

Of the 23 migrants and refugees interviewed by HRW, 15 said they have been assaulted and all have witnessed beatings while in immigration detention.

Saifuddin also rubbished the report's claim that the detention centres were overcrowded.

"All 20 immigration depots nationwide are currently under capacity.

"The depots can take up to 20,650 immigrants at a time but as of March 7, there are only 13,635 of them in detention.

"Therefore, the report by the Human Rights Watch is cancelled out. Let the numbers talk. Is it congested (at the depots)? The answer is no. It is under capacity,” he said.

In response to Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan), Saifuddin said Myanmar nationals make up the most immigrants found in the detention centres at 4,541.

This is followed by Indonesia (3,797), the Philippines (2,914), Bangladesh (1,000), Thailand (329) and others (1,054), he said.

“Last year, we spent RM123mil to manage all 20 depots and RM80mil was for food alone.

“When we send them back to their home countries, we pay for their flight or ferry tickets.

“Look at how much we care for them, and yet, HRW said we tortured them to death,” Saifuddin said.