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KUALA LUMPUR – The torture and death of over 130 smuggled immigrants should have been prevented by local authorities, according to a recently declassified Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on migrant camps found in Wang Kelian.
The 184-page report which was published on the Home Ministry website recently detailed the investigation into the existence of the camps, border control, and overall enforcement agencies’ response to the discovery of the mass graves and transit camp in Wang Kelian, Perlis, near the Thai border.
The report concurs with witness testimonies from police that the unfortunate fate and tragic death of the immigrants could have been prevented.
“The torture and deaths of the illegal immigrants should have been prevented by the authorities taking a more proactive step in border control. It did not require any extraordinary effort to detect what had happened in Bukit Wang Burma as indicated by S1 (the RCI’s first witness, police’s Mat Ten).
“What is required among enforcement officers is dedication, commitment, and innovation in carrying out their duties,” said the report.
The report also detailed the weakness of border control and cross-agency coordination including interdepartmental communication within police towards the discovery of the camps.
“There were weaknesses in the Royal Malaysian Police’s internal coordination in carrying out operations, which was demonstrated through the workflow and information channelled between departments/units in regard to the discovery of the camps and graves.
“In addition, there were gaps in the transmission and sharing of information where reviews were conducted several times before subsequent action was taken.
“This was seen to have caused delays in the implementation of proper action,” said the report.
The report also stated that the authorities failed to take note of, analyse, and understand the incoming trend of undocumented migrants in the years prior to the discovery of the camps in 2015.
“They also did not view seriously the continued entry of these illegal immigrants on a large scale from 2012 to 2015. The large-scale and continued entry trend of illegal immigrants should have appropriately been a clear warning and sign to enforcement agencies at the state and national levels. The matter should also have been raised at the policy-maker level.
“At the state level, the Royal Malaysian Police, National Security Council, Immigration Department, and Aksem (Border Security Agency) knew about and were aware of this pattern and flow of entry, but did not take any action to halt the entry of illegal immigrants in the areas that were often breached.
“Regular and comprehensive inspections should have been conducted along the Malaysia-Thailand border without exception,” said the report. – The Vibes, October 18, 2022
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