RCI needed to reform immigration, Suaram tells Home Ministry

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) called for the Home Ministry to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to reform immigration, particularly to address abuse in detention centres.

Commenting on the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) investigation that found extreme violence and abuse at the Bidor Temporary Immigration Depot (DISB), Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said the RCI must address systemic factors that lead to abusive conditions in detention centres.

"The Immigration Department’s reliance on procedural justifications continues to undermine any effort toward real accountability," Sevan (above) said in a statement last night.

Although the department claimed to adhere to international standards, several parties have consistently highlighted reports of violence, squalid conditions and extortion, he said.

This included local and international newspapers, NGOs and the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), he added.

On Wednesday, the EAIC said it completed its investigation into the escape of 131 Rohingya prisoners from DISB on Feb 1.

It concluded that the prisoners mainly fled to escape incidents of extreme violence and physical and mental abuse they experienced at the depot.

It also said that it has made a police report on the issue of violence and abuse against Rohingya prisoners at the depot and Kem Wawasan Langkawi to enable further investigations by the Royal Malaysia Police.

Implement EAIC’s recommendations

In his statement, Sevan also said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail must ensure the Immigration Department implements the EAIC's recommendations for disciplinary action to be taken against officers responsible for the abuses in DISB.

These efforts must be further disclosed to the public so that transparency and accountability are provided, he added.

"It is time for Saifuddin to own up to the reality of the torture, abuse, and inhumane conditions that detainees face in immigration detention, and commit to comprehensive reforms that break this damaging cycle of evasion and neglect," Sevan said.

He also referred to a previous Human Rights Watch (HRW) report which claimed that ill-treatment and inadequate medical care have led to hundreds of deaths in immigration detention centres.

"A cycle of denial and inaction is at play here.

"Saifuddin’s defensiveness in rejecting the findings of independent reports, such as those by HRW on abuses in immigration detention centres, has only perpetuated this cycle, stifling much-needed reform," he said.

In March, Saifuddin claimed that HRW was unable to furnish evidence of the torture of detainees in immigration detention centres.

He said the report was still "hearsay" but added that he would give it the benefit of the doubt.

The report, titled “We Can’t See The Sun, Malaysia’s Arbitrary Detention of Migrants and Refugees”, detailed how officers mete 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.

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