Deported Indonesian migrants say they were abused, treated in degrading manner

Civil society movements are claiming that Indonesian migrants who were detained at the temporary detention centres in Sabah had endured cruel and inhumane conditions.

A statement jointly issued by the National Human Rights Commission of Indonesia and the Coalition of Sovereign Migrant Workers said violations of human rights against the migrants "took place systematically and on an immense scale for many years”.

The groups said they had interviewed 33 deportees - comprising 17 men, 15 women, and a child - who were part of around 900 undocumented migrant workers deported between June 2019 and July 2020.

They also met five children between the ages of nine months and four years.

"They were arrested, detained, imprisoned, tortured and treated in cruel, inhumane and degrading manners at the Temporary Detention Centre in Sabah before being deported to Indonesia.

"Testimonies from these deportees demonstrate a clear pattern that the practice of torture and punishment or inhumane and degrading treatment at the temporary detention centre occurred massively and systematically for a long period of time," said the groups in a statement dated Aug 5.

The complaints

Among the complaints were reported as followed:

"We are treated like animals. After the prison sentence was over and while waiting for the deportation process at the immigration depot, we were treated like animals. The ‘red house’ (temporary detention centre) is like hell. Most of us at the detention experience all kinds of diseases." (XYZ, a deportee from Adonara, East Nusa Tenggara).

"At every six o’clock in the morning, we have to wake up. The block leader would shout to tell us to line up and count. One row of 10 people each. We have to say, ‘good morning cikgu (teacher)’, then the officer will say: 'hands behind, head down!' Anyone who made a mistake was punched and kicked. Every time we get hit, we have to say, 'thank you, cikgu'. Otherwise, we will be beaten continuously. So, we were treated truly like animals. We have to call the officers as cikgu, if we don't, we will be beaten." (ABC, a deportee from Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara).

"In the temporary detention centre, almost all are affected by serious skin diseases (dermatitis). The water is dirty and smelly. Even then, it was hardly available. We often did not shower for three days. The food provided is often still raw, the chicken still has a little blood. The food is usually not cooked properly. Once, we were not given food until late afternoon.” (KLN, a female deportee from Pinrang, South Sulawesi).

“I wanted to take a shower once but the water in the shower rarely came out. Often there was no water for up to three days. We usually have to save water in a mineral water bottle. If we want to take a shower, we often have to be drawn to get a turn. We were rationed only two bottles of mineral water (only two litres of water)." (DDHK, a 10-year-old deportee from Ende, East Nusa Tenggara)

The groups said a female deportee had witnessed three women giving birth without the assistance from the medical team.

“The woman stated: 'Between February to June 2020, I saw three women giving birth at a block where I was detained. I have seen babies born safely without the help of officers, let alone doctors or nurses. The babies are very small, it must be due to malnutrition’."

Urge Malaysian govt to stop violence

Following the revelations, the National Human Rights Commission of Indonesia and the Coalition of Sovereign Migrant Workers urged the Malaysian government to make systematic efforts to stop and prevent mass torture and other cruel treatment in the detention centres.

They also urged the government to simplify the deportation administration procedure and make it more efficient to avoid prolonged detention; conduct a series of investigations into the perpetrators of violence in the detention centre and punish perpetrators in order to end impunity; reform the legal system to provide protection for all migrant workers working in Malaysia and stop the criminalisation of undocumented migrant workers.

Temporary detention centre packed

Malaysiakini is unable to independently verify the claims in the report. When contacted, an Immigration Department public relations officer told Malaysiakini that the temporary detention centres in Sabah was under the purview of the National Security Council.

Malaysiakini has contacted the National Security Council for comment but did not receive a response despite trying for two weeks. 

For the record, in November last year, Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal said all four temporary detention centres in the state were congested with more than 7,000 detainees.

Despite that, he said the authorities would continue to hunt undocumented migrants with 6,018 ongoing operations. - Mkini