I refer to the report Cops ask for 'yum cha' money, strip me and grab my breasts .

Zhen's story of torture and humiliation at the hands of policewomen serves to remind us that male and female police personnel are no different when it comes to police abuse.

Some of us still remember the story of a woman reformasi supporter who was stripped naked in the Shah Alam police station after she and scores of reformasi supporters were arrested some years ago.

I was recently in Selayang to have breakfast with a couple of friends at the vicinity of Pasar Borong Baru. There are many non-Malaysians in the vicinity who are forced migrants. Some work around the area or live in the shoplots.

I was informed by new-found friends in the area that police frequent the vicinity to conduct 'false raids'. Migrants were often rounded up and threatened with arrest and detention unless they give money to the police. Those without sufficient funds have to part with whatever they have on their bodies like watches, mobile phones and jewellery.

The police take the migrants to side streets or behind shoplots and often frisk them for valuables. Women are not spared. Women migrants inform me that the policewomen often do the bodywork on them with their male counterparts watching.

Migrants part with as much as RM2,000 a day. In some cases, the police will hold on to their papers as surety until they come back with the sums requested. Even documented persons, like Zhen, get into a nasty situation with police.

It is hard that migrants, most of whom are undocumented, lack any kind of identity here and are thus unable to assert any kind of rights. The enforcement of rights require some kind of recognition of their status.

I do not think the 'No Corruption' badges will make any difference. It is better if the police 'No Corruption' brigade visit the black areas where other police are fleecing innocents on a daily basis. This brigade should encouraged people to come forward to lodge complaints.

One forced migrant has, however, informed me that no one will complain as they will be killed. It is strange for us to hear these kind of threats. However, for forced migrants they are far too afraid to do anything and often believe in the truth of these threats. After all, if that happens, who will know and care. They have no identity here.