'Immigration Dept open to external request to visit detention depots'

 

The Immigration Department is open to considering visitation requests from groups or individuals that had raised concerns over conditions of its detention depots and detainees, according to director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud.

Khairul Dzaimee, who was met in Parliament today, however, said he has yet to receive any such request.

"If there are such requests, we will consider it," he told Malaysiakini.

The conditions of children in immigration detention had recently attracted international attention following an Immigration Department-led multi-agency raid that nabbed 67 undocumented migrants, including 36 children - at a migrant settlement in Nilai Spring, Negeri Sembilan last month.

Following the arrests, the Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono, said the embassy was granted consular access to meet the detainees and would facilitate their return to Indonesia.

Hermono, at the time, also said the priority is to ensure the protection of the rights of children in line with international conventions that Indonesia and Malaysia are both parties to, including in cases of arrests and detention.

Khairul Dzaimee (above), meanwhile, reaffirmed that all children in detention are accompanied by their parents.

"We will notify the embassies to process their travel documents.

"While waiting for the documents to be processed, we will keep them in our depots. Their health, food and everything will be borne by the government," he said.

In the past, parties that had reportedly requested to visit specific immigration detention depots following custodial death cases include the office of the Child’s Commissioner (OCC) under Suhakam.

Following a raid on a migrant settlement, including on privately-owned land, Khairul Dzaimee said the Immigration Department will coordinate with the local council in charge to demolish all related structures.

"Any action to be taken against land owners is under the purview of the local council.

"After an operation was conducted, like in Cyberjaya recently, we shared information with the local authorities and the settlement was demolished. That's the standard procedure," he explained.

At the same time, Khairul Dzaimee insisted that he did not receive any reports of valuables belonging to arrested migrants being destroyed along with the settlement.

"We allowed them to keep their valuables while being detained," he said.

Yesterday, a Negeri Sembilan immigration joint operation has uncovered another migrant settlement built on private land in Bandar Ainsdale, Seremban - where both legal workers and those undocumented reside together.

Among others, wooden structures that formed houses, a sundry shop, and a surau were discovered at the site estimated to be the size of two football fields. - Mkini