MCA Youth: Hamzah must apologise for flippant remarks on immigration deaths

MCA Youth: Hamzah must apologise for flippant remarks on immigration deaths


MCA Youth’s Heng Zhi Li has chastised Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin for what he called flippant remarks over immigration deaths.

This came after Hamzah said the Immigration Department should not be held responsible for deaths in immigration detention centres before asserting that it should not have been an issue because “sometimes people die even while walking, they don’t even have to be in a depot”.

“His remarks dishonour Malaysia’s recent achievement of getting elected into the United Nations Human Right Council for the 2022-2024 term.

“Taking to heart Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s pledge to commit to the agenda of advancing global human rights, MCA Youth urges him to pressure Hamzah to issue a public apology for his callous approach to the worrying number of deaths in detention centres,” said Heng in a statement today.

Heng, who is the MCA Youth Civil Society Movement Coordination Bureau chairperson, said that aside from an apology, MCA Youth wanted the Home Ministry to take the health, safety and wellbeing of detainees in the custody of the Immigration Department more seriously.

“The cabinet must also form an independent task force to assess and look into the conditions of detention facilities over rising concerns of potential inhumane treatments behind closed gates,” he added.

Heng cited the Coalition of Sovereign Migrant Workers’ (KBMB) report “Like In Hell: Conditions at Immigration Detention Centres in Sabah, Malaysia”, which claimed that at least 149 Indonesians had perished in the past 18 months as a result of gross mistreatment, malign neglect and violence in our immigration depots.

“The report also alleged that up to 260 detainees, including children, were cramped into windowless cells the size of a badminton court and equipped with just three toilet holes.

“Under the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment (1988), no person under any form of detention or imprisonment shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Heng said MCA Youth regards the Immigration Department’s fundamental responsibilities as exceeding that of a warden.

“They also take on the roles of custodians and caretakers of those under their charge.

“All detainees must be allocated proper welfare and respect on account of inherent human dignity,” he said.

Sack Hamzah

Hamzah’s remarks had also drawn brickbats from DAP’s Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh and Johor PKR Youth legal bureau chief Lau Yi Leong.

Lau even called for the sacking of Hamzah Zainuddin and said that the government had shown no intention to investigate the rising cases of deaths in immigration custody.

“If the government still maintains any belief in human rights, I call upon Ismail Sabri to immediately remove Hamzah as home minister.

“Form a Royal Commission of Inquiry and investigate conditions of the immigration detention centres, the wide-spread corrupt practice within the immigration department and the rising number of deaths in the immigration detention centres,” said Lau, adding that the move must be made with a view towards implementing urgent reforms to the immigration detention centres.