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PUTRAJAYA – Newly appointed Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said that frail-looking and sickly detainees at the Kimanis detention centre were already in that condition before they went in.
He told a press conference today that he had been informed by ministry officials over the matter, which had been captured in a video and photos and shared widely on social media.
“I was notified by the (Immigration) department (over the issue). Sometimes it is unfair if we overplay this issue.
“Firstly, we need to look at the subject (person) – whether that person was a normal person practising a healthy lifestyle.
“Or, whether he had been involved in activities that could cause his physical body to be skinny.
“Their frail-looking condition was not when they were detained. They were already like that before going in (to the detention centre).
“So, their weak physical conditions and frail looking-condition were not caused when they went in there, no,” he told the press conference at the Immigration Department headquarters which was also streamed live on Facebook.
Saifuddin said he hoped the media would rectify the matter “and give us a fair report”.
He was asked about a video clip and several photographs of frail-looking individuals said to be incarcerated at the Kimanis detention centre near Kota Kinabalu, which implied that they had received poor treatment.
The Vibes had approached the Sabah Immigration Department and the Human Rights Commission hours after the photos and video went viral over social media but received no response.
A Suhakam source also noted that they were not able to make an immediate statement, saying the situation was “premature”.
Suhakam, however, is one of the few agencies given access by the authorities access to visit migrant detention centres.
The Facebook post on the video and photos, which garnered thousands of shares and hundreds of comments, has also been deleted.
In June, The Vibes reported the unhygienic and cramped conditions in Sabah immigration detention centres, which also reportedly lacked basic healthcare services, as found by Indonesia-based civil society movement Koalisi Buruh Migran Berdaulat.
In particular, the Tawau immigration detention centre was highlighted as 18 Indonesian nationals are believed to have died there between January and March this year, the group had reported.
Its findings were based on interviews with Indonesian detainees upon their repatriation back to the archipelago nation. – The Vibes, December 9, 2022
