I refer to malaysiakini report 'No information' on death of child deportees on the deaths of two Filipino child deportees during their deportation by Malaysian Immigration authorities from Sabah to Zamboanga City in the Philippines.

It is extremely distressing and sad to see the flippant attitude of Baharom Talib, the director of the Sabah Immigration Department who commented on the incident. That Baharom had not been informed of the deaths of the children by the Philippine authorities may be true but what is unacceptable is his lack of any concern that such a thing should happen to a child deportee or any deportee, during a deportation carried out by Malaysian Immigration authorities.

According to the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development, Timah Basir, 13 had died between Sept 29 and 30 on her return journey to the Philippines. The cause of death was 'cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to severe malnutrition and hypoglycemia'.

Three-year-old Nurhani Nurmin, died in a hospital in Zamboanga City from 'chronic gastroenteritis, severe malnutrition and severe pneumonia secondary to respiratory arrest'. The common factor in these two cases is that of malnutrition and the obvious lack of medical attention and treatment at Sabah's Menggatal Detention Centre.

Baharom's suggestion that the children 'could have been well upon embarkation' is totally illogical and incredible. Severe malnutrition does not take place overnight. It is difficult to believe that any doctor had examined the children prior to their deportation as Baharom claims, otherwise the symptoms of malnutrition leading to their causes of death would surely have been recognised by any qualified general practitioner.

Despite this tragic loss of two very young lives, Malaysian immigration authorities exhibit a disgraceful lack of humanity by attempting to avoid responsibility for it. Baharom 'declined to comment on the health-related conditions surrounding the children's detention, saying this was the responsibility of the Sabah Federal Task Force on Foreign Workers'.

The children were not foreign workers. He claimed that immigration authorities were only responsible for transporting deportees. If this is the case, then immigration authorities in this country are no more than a government haulage service dealing in human cargo. This sounds similar to the conditions in which illegal human trafficking is carried out, and on which apparent crackdowns are made by the same government.

Tenaganita has also reported deaths of children from dehydration during deportation journeys. In 2002, Tenaganita reported four child deportee deaths from dehydration during a mass expulsion of 10,000 Filipino undocumented immigrants.

Last year, two-year-old Rene Nasir died from the same cause during deportation. Death from dehydration points to non-provision of water and possibly of food, at least for the duration of the 24-hour-journey to the country of origin. Even animals in transit are not so ill-treated and deprived of the such fundamental necessities for survival.

It is a wonder that our government can continue to boast to the international community that Malaysia supports human rights, and even more embarrassing that it is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council holding a three-year tenure, and has ratified the Convention on Rights of the Child, which has been incorporated in the Child Act.

Yet, the deaths of foreign child deportees seems to be viewed as a trivial matter and just another statistic in a sterile official report.