It is wrong to accuse the government of treating undocumented migrants in an inhumane manner, according to Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The Umno leader, who oversees the security cluster said Malaysia is treating them better than other countries and therefore urged critics to refrain from casting aspersion on the government.
"They are placed at the (immigration detention) depots and given adequate food.
“When Covid-19 positive cases are detected inside the depots, we conduct tests on all of them so that they can be saved,” he added during his daily briefing in Putrajaya this afternoon.
Those infected, he said, are sent to the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) for treatment.
“If have you been to that place before, (you would know) it is very beautiful. The government spent millions to create a temporary makeshift hospital.
"There is no need for political leaders and NGOs to take advantage so that they can become heroes to these undocumented migrants," he added.
He also denied accusations that the government conducted raids against undocumented migrants who stayed at the enhanced MCO areas.
Citing Selangor Mansion, which was placed under lockdown on April 7, Ismail Sabri said the authorities found a total 586 undocumented migrants living in the flats.
"When we took away the barbed wire, the residents were allowed to go in and out. What about them? Should we let them roam free like the others?
"So, we just take them back to the depots. It is not that we took advantage and raided them," explained Ismail Sabri.
Ismail was responding to Suhakam, which accused the government of treating migrant workers in an unfair manner, including conducting raids amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I feel that Suhakam might be confused because there are two categories of migrants, the legal migrant workers and the undocumented migrants," he said.
He said the government treated the legal migrant workers well, protected their rights and recognised their contribution in taking on the dirty, dangerous and difficult (3D) jobs in various sectors.
Yesterday, Ismail Sabri told detractors to be thankful for the mass arrests of undocumented migrants who could spread Covid-19.
The government had earlier announced that it would send back all undocumented migrants who test negative for Covid-19. - Mkini
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