300 foreign children sent to 3 Baitul Mahabbah centres, says minister

 

Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the children comprised those born in immigration detention centres or who had been abandoned because their parents were detained. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 300 foreign children under the age of 10 have been placed in three ‘Baitul Mahabbah’ (care centres) managed by the immigration department, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said the centres were in Nilai in.Negeri Sembilan; Papar (Sabah), and Miri (Sarawak).

According to Saifuddin, the children comprised those born in immigration detention centres or who had been abandoned because their parents were detained in immigration raids.

“For humanitarian reasons, we take care of these children in the detention centres and segregate them through Baitul Mahabbah centres.

“All of them have the opportunity to attend classes with basic lessons, such as learning the alphabet, that are managed by the immigration department in a conducive environment,” he said at the Bukit Jalil immigration detention centre here, last night.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said his ministry had received RM10 million to renovate suitable premises into new Baitul Mahabbah centres.

He added that, as of March this year, there were 13,530 detainees at immigration detention centres and Baitul Mahabbah nationwide, comprising 9,438 men, 2,696 women, 772 boys and 624 girls.

“They comprise 3,375 Indonesians, 3,345 Filipinos, 2,653 Rohingyas, 1,988 Myanmar, 719 Bangladeshis and 340 Thais, with the rest being from China, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Pakistan and Cambodia,” he said. - FMT