Malaysia's detention centres under scrutiny
Updated
The recent death of another two illegal detainees in one of Malaysia's many detention centres has once again raised the issue of conditions under which people are being held. The death of the two Burmese detainees from Leptospirosis, a disease caused by exposure to contaminated water, shows a continued lack of hygiene and healthcare at detention centres
Presenter: Kanaha Sabapathy
Speaker: Dato Siva Subramaniam, Commissioner, Suhakam.
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SUBRAMANIAM: We strongly feel that the right to health and the right to ensure proper medical treatment for people who are detained is something that is very vital and denial of healthcare is a violation of right to life. At present the 22 centres throughout Malaysia do not have a permanent clinic or dispensary manned by doctors or medical assistants to help the detainees. It has got a visiting doctor only.
SABAPATHY: These deaths, there have been 13-hundred over the last six years, the majority of which have been for health reasons. Why has the government not reacted so far to this issue of poor medical or poor health facilities in the detention centres?
SUBRAMANIAM: The 13-hundred figure is not only in the detention centres, it also includes the prisons, police lock-ups and other detention centres, and this is the figure that has been presented to parliament. We want improvement to be done; overcrowding of these detention centres should also be overcome. During several visits that Suhakam has conducted we have now identified two main issues; one is the question of the healthcare, one is the question of proper hygiene, that includes healthcare and proper water supply.
SABAPATHY: Now has there been any negligence on the part of Reyla, that's the people's volunteer corps, and immigration officials who are currently responsible for the illegal detention centres?
SUBRAMANIAM: As far as Reyla is concerned they maintain only discipline, they do not take care of the health concern. Whereas the immigration officers if you look at it they are mainly in charge of food preparation which is privatised, and also the general condition. But the more important thing is the funding and the healthcare of these people, and we will have to look at the situation in view of the outbreak of these new diseases, especially in this region and we have to look at it in a more positive way. Suhakam wants to ensure that there is medical care, there's a permanent doctor placed there and we want that to be done in every camp.
SABAPATHY: As you said there are new diseases and viruses floating around, one example is swine flu. Is there any form of screening of new detainees before they're put in with all the others?
SUBRAMANIAM: There is general screening but there should be a thorough check now and there should be also a proper medical check before they're put together with other detainees. And there's also the need to have a cooperation with the embassies concerned. And a malicious problem is the overcrowding of these detention centres which I think is something that we have to look very seriously. Suhakam basically concentrating on the issue of fundamental human rights, which is proper care, water, food and health.
