A migrant-support NGO in Penang has claimed that the 42 Vietnamese women rescued last month from a house in Jalan Hull are now jailed in the Juru detention centre.

According to Penang Office for Human Development officer K Sudhagaran Stanley, the women who were earlier sent to a Kuala Lumpur shelter were “quietly” transported to Juru on March 30 and are now detained there.

pc on vietnamese workers victim treated as criminal 040412 stanley Sudhagaran ( right ), who also represents Jaringan Utara Migrasi dan Perlarian, said he has confirmed their detention with the state Immigration Department.

He added that the detained women have been charged under the Immigration Act for overstaying their work visa.

“This situation is unacceptable. We are calling for their release and that they be placed in a government or our own shelter,” said Sudhagaran at a press conference yesterday.

“We are also demanding complete transparency in the department’s anti-trafficking investigation, the magistrate’s report and circumtances leading to the 42 women being jailed,” he added.

Sudhagaran said the case needs a full joint task force review by the Department of Labour, Department of Immigration and the Deputy Public Prosecutor’s Office.

He also called on the Vietnamese embassy to take an active role in asking for the release of

their jailed citizens.

Sudhagaran said he is making these calls under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007 which provides for an “extended protection order” for the women.

He added that the Penang Office for Human Development would be lodging a report at the Northeast Police Headquarters over the matter.

Move to highlight case with Suhakam

Sudhagaran said the women are welcomed to stay at the NGO’s shelter which can house up to 50 people at any one time.

He warned that his organisation is going all out to highlight the case to the Interpol as well as the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and the international media.

The women were living together in a house and were reportedly been surviving mainly on rice for the past few months before their case was highlighted by Pulau Tikus assemblyperson Koay Teng Hai on March 17.

All the women, aged between 30 and 50, claimed they were unable to return to Vietnam as their visas had expired.

Inside sources said that the case was classified as labour trafficking by the Immigration Department but the DPP did not consider it as human trafficking.

pc on vietnamese workers victim treated as criminal 040412 koay teng hai Koay ( left ), who were present at the press conference, said he had tried to meet the women at the Juru detention centre but was told by the investigating officer that the centre allows only one visit per week.

Koay said he would personally bring up the case to the state legislative assembly and also request for provisions to be made to limit the number of persons living in a premises.

“We should look into the housing problem and try to improve the living conditions of the workers,” he told reporters.

When contacted by the media, an investigating officer in the Immigration Department who identified herself as Grace said investigations into the case have been completed but she was unable to provide more information.