Malaysia doesn't deny UN access to immigration depots - Saifuddin

 

Malaysia strongly rejected the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) claim that the country is blocking access to its immigration detention depots.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Malaysia has never denied any visit requests, insisting that only two visit requests have been received this year.

He said the perception that the country is blocking access must be corrected.

“Yesterday, UNHCR, as reported by The New York Times, said we are not granting access to immigration depots. As far as I can recall, we have only received two letters this year in which UNHCR requested to visit the depots.

“But it told the world that we blocked or did not allow it. So we need to manage this perception,” he said when addressing the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly today.

He was responding to a New York Times report quoting UNHCR as saying it has been barred from visiting detention depots since 2019, hindering its ability to identify refugees and assess conditions at the facilities.

Semenyih immigration detention depot

Last March, Saifuddin reportedly said the Home Ministry was prepared to allow UNHCR to visit immigration detention depots, but noted that several procedures would need to be followed before such visits could proceed.

Requirement to dress modestly

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said police are obligated to receive reports under all circumstances, regardless of the situation.

He said the priority of the police is to assist members of the public who need help, including when filing reports, as this is a core duty of the country’s security forces.

“It is the duty of the police to receive reports... So no matter what the situation is, the police have to take the report. Indeed, there is a (dress code) circular. The circular serves as a guide,” he said.

However, he said the public should adhere to the requirement to dress modestly when lodging reports at police stations.

Saifuddin was commenting on a recent incident that went viral on social media, in which a woman was denied entry into the Malacca district police headquarters for allegedly violating the dress code for government premises.

It is understood that the woman had been involved in an accident while travelling back to Johor after attending an event in Kuala Lumpur.

She was reportedly barred from entering the police station because the skirt she was wearing was above the knee.

- Bernama