Parliamentary Group Wants Access To Immigration Depot

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A parliamentary group has requested the government to allow them access to the Sungai Bakap Immigration Depot to check on its condition and determine if it followed the appropriate standards for a detention facility.
The request by the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) on Policy on Refugees is related to the recent rioting and mass escape of more than 500 refugees from the depot, which saw seven dead and scores still on the lam.
"APPGM on Policy on Refugees has requested Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin to permit our delegation to visit the temporary detention centre at Kem Sri Impian as soon as possible, for us to evaluate if the depot's condition meets the appropriate standards.
"Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman, who is the group's chairperson, has sent an official letter to the minister making this request," the statement said.
Besides Tarmizi (PAS), other members of the group are Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (Umno-Sabak Bernam), Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (Umno-Baling), Che Abdullah Mat Nawi (PAS-Tumpat), Ahmad Hassan (Warisan-Papar), Natrah Ismail (PKR-Sekijang), Wong Hon Wai (DAP-Bukit Bendera) and Fahmi Fadzil (PKR-Lembah Pantai).
The group also expressed their disappointment with the April 20 incident that saw 528 refugees break out from the detention facility after a rioting incident. All of them have been held there since 2020.
They urged Putrajaya to immediately launch an independent and transparent investigation to determine what had caused the riot and prison break.
A total of seven detainees were killed in a road accident when they tried to cross a highway nearby during the escape.
According to a Bernama report yesterday, the Immigration Department said that of the 528, only 61 are still at large. - Mkini

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