109 detainees escape Malaysia immigration center

Detainees set fire to a Malaysian immigration center and about 100 of them escaped as the blaze partially gutted the facility, officials said Tuesday.

The Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Detainees set fire to a Malaysian immigration center and about 100 of them escaped as the blaze partially gutted the facility, officials said Tuesday.

Authorities recaptured 30 of the 109 detainees who broke out of the camp in central Negri Sembilan state late Monday, said Home Ministry official Mohamed Asri Yusof. Most were from Myanmar.

Officials were unsure how the detainees managed to start a blaze. About 1,000 other detainees remain in custody, and no injuries were immediately reported, Mohamed Asri said.

The fire and escape could refocus attention on conditions at detention centers. Activists have long said such facilities are overcrowded with detainees awaiting deportation after being arrested for illegally entering Malaysia or overstaying.

The national news agency, Bernama, quoted state deputy police chief Abdul Manan Mohamad Hassan as saying that some detainees had been at the center for up to a year.

"Investigations show that they were dissatisfied with what they perceived as cramped living conditions, the food and long detention periods," he said. Bernama said police have mounted road blocks in Negri Sembilan and were using tracker dogs and helicopters in the search.

Human rights group Amnesty International said those who escaped may have included refugees from Myanmar who are often detained with other illegal immigrants until their claims for asylum can be assessed. Malaysia doesn't recognize asylum seekers and treats them as illegal immigrants who can be arrested, caned and detained for being in the country illegally.

"We are concerned for their safety," Amnesty researcher Lance Lattig said. "We've seen how migrants at (the Negri Sembilan center) are held in conditions that fall far short of international standards."

Thousands of illegal immigrants are held at Malaysia's 13 immigration detention centers. Most of them are illegal immigrants from Indonesia who are deported within weeks.

But those with refugee claims - many from Myanmar - must wait for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to assess their status. If the U.N. agency finds their claims to be valid, they are allowed to leave the centers and stay in Malaysia until they can be resettled to a third country, which grants them full legal status.

Malaysia legally employs about 1.8 million foreigners, mostly from poorer regional countries, on plantations, construction sites, factories and other labor-intensive industries. Authorities estimate that in addition, as many foreigners work in Malaysia illegally.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014686060_apasmalaysiaimmigrationbreakout.html

Fear of Gang Attacks Accumulate

Kuala Lumpur (VOCR) 03 April: Violent crime targeted at refugees stranding dramatically rise as refugees in Malaysia are limitedly vulnerable and regarded as illegals alone—and nothing are they capable of when attacked and arested. The recent gang attacks on refugees in several occasions spell a great fear for the safety of refugees.

Two of recognised refugees from Mizo community last week told The VOCR that they experienced gang attack in the evening in public while they were on way back home and robbed them of their belongings--money and hand-phones. One who request his name remains anonymous got small injure of knife-slash on his shoulder when a group of gangs attempted to confiscate his UNHCR's card and effectively defended, with which the card they could only be guaranteed their escape from police arresting. 

Amazingly but common practice in Malaysia, small number of Chin group stranding in Sungai Buloh working in Plastic Factory were attacked by a group of five gangsters at their apartment provided by their employer—threatening them all in the room by sword and asking money and hand-phones in the first week of last month. "The gangsters came by car and checking IC (Identity card) as if personnel from police station an then started threatening us to kill by the time one of my friends realized that they were just gangsters and tried to pick up the phone and ring our boss", said Aung Phu Tun from Paletwa Khomi community, who is holding ACR's (Alliance of Chin Refugee) membership card. Not only were they badly attacked but an Indian neighbor also hard hit following their looking through all our belongings, continued him. 

Obviously, this was a brutal group attack who deliberately take advantage over the less fortunate facing all kinds of hardships and difficulties in foreign soil. 

For people of being fortunate to feel that violent crime is going up and to be told they are suffering from moral panic has always been of great concern. 

Day after day, the recent occurrences of gang attack underline a large scale of the challenges refugees face in the helpless society--society with full of limitations and lack of international supports.

By Simon

A Refugee Woman Brutally Murdered

Kajang (VOCR) on 01 April, 2011: Earlier last month, Lam Cing, a mixed-blood native of Mon, wife of Kap Mang from Tedim, Chin state, Burma was brutally slashed in her neck to death at home in Sungai Long in Kajang where hundreds of Chin refugees stranding, about 10 km away from Kuala Lumpur while her husband was working in his workplace on 11^th March, 2011. 

 Her eight-month old baby was found being sandwiched under their heavy mattress—and having rushed to the nearest hospital for the medical treatment as the baby unconscious and full of perspiration. Later, the left baby was recovered and back to normal after couples of hours by the grace of God, said the baby's father. 

Kap Mang, husband of the murdered, according to him, was informed by two of Indonesian women and a Burmese national, who are the co-rentals, in his workplace and then immediately running to his apartment after informing what happened to his employers and friends in his workplace and found his wife's body lied down on floor dead. 

It is learnt that the police in Kajang district police station arrested the co-rentals on suspicion of murdering based on the evidences collected through the scanning of CCTV around their apartment. Money, necklace, laptop and digital camera, which were most valuables they had were all robbed. Noting left but to agonize the happenings. 

The incident was taken place just a day after they had done with DHS (Department of Homeland Security) interview, also known as the U.S Immigration interview for the U.S bound resettlement on 10^th March, 2011.

Regardless of the incident, it was reported to OPI Unit in UNHCR office on 14 of last month and the recommendation letter for taking the body from the hospital was provided at the same day. The funeral service was held by the lead of ZIM (Zomi Inkual in Malaysia) in the next day. 

So far, two of the suspected Indonesian are still being locked up in the police station. However, the Burmese man was already released upon having some intensive interview by the authority personnel. The investigation was underway by the police from Kajang district police station as the sole cause remains mystery. 

The 'harrowing' ordeal has since caused Mr. Kap Mang severe post traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, flashbacks, claustrophobia and highly deep-rooted depression solely based on fear for his security, which was learnt through an interview with him by The VOCR. 

 He is very concerned there will be bringing about the similar situation. He is helped take care of the baby by his relatives at the moment.

Extremely dangerous but the real, gangsters in Malaysia apparently dear to kill anyone by the incentive of anything worth Rm-500 which is only equivalent with $170. It is likely that she could be murdered by gangsters championing in the area as she is never absent wearing necklace or the truth can be found on those suspected. 



By Simon