WHO'S LYING - Al-jazeera or M'sia authorities? Dep minister denies detainees ordered to strip

KUALA LUMPUR - Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar denied that detainees in immigration detention centres are made to strip naked as reported in a foreign media documentary last week.

He said the refugees come to Malaysia instead of going to other countries because Malaysia treats refugees better than others do.

"There is no stripping them naked, they are given a towel or 'sarung' if they are required to remove their clothes and it takes place in an enclosed area," Wan Junaidi said.

He was replying to the emergency motion on the inhumane treatment of refugees in immigration detention centres, which was exposed in a documentary by Al-Jazeera on Nov 19.

The documentary showed testimonies of former detainees, who alleged that they were physically abused and asked to strip naked.

Stressing that the United Nations officers visit the detention centres on a regular basis, Wan Junaidi denied any ill-treatment in the centres, although in the documentary he vaguely admitted that physical abuse does happen in detention centres.

Reiterating that there are children in the detention centre because the authorities do not want to separate children from their mothers, Wan Junaidi said that it was done on "humanitarian grounds".

"The children have to follow the mothers, who are detained for suspected criminal activities, based on humanitarian grounds.

"This is to ensure that the children are under the care of their mothers, not exploited by other parties and that the children are not emotionally affected by being separated from their mothers," he said.

Wan Junaidi said based on Article 11 of the Immigration (Administration and Management of Immigration Depots) Regulations 2003, a child below 12-years of age, who has been detained, will be allowed to enter the depot with the parents while a child below 18-years, detained for immigration offences will be excused from being charged.

"However, the Deputy Public Prosecutor can instruct otherwise if the merits of the crime or offences are heavy," he said.

Although he said that the regulation prohibits the detention of pregnant or nursing women, he did not respond to the testimony of a woman refugee who was detained two days after giving birth in Hospital Kuala Lumpur and was not given nursing care.

Wan Junaidi refused to reply a question raised on the case of an Afghan man, whose child could not recognise him after being separated from him which was showed in the documentary.

He also did not respond to whether the government would initiate and independent investigation on the matter as it violates human rights and international laws. -Sundaily