Immigration Dept Allegedly Starves Detainees After Photos Showing Frail Inmates Go Viral
The photos and a video were allegedly taken at the Kimanis Detention Centre in Sabah.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 09 Dec 2022, 12:15 PM
A video and photos showing frail-looking men allegedly held at the Kimanis Detention Centre in Sabah have gone viral on Facebook this week
A Facebook user, who is believed to be from Sabah, first uploaded the video and photos in a post that received over 8,000 shares before it was taken down.
The photos show six detainees in an emaciated state, with the shapes of their collar bones and rib cages pronounced and protruding, which are indications of malnutrition.
In the 90-second video, a man, who calls himself Salomon and is speaking on behalf of other detainees, appeals to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and state immigration director Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yusof to release them.
"I have been here for close to a year. There are others who have been here for two or three years. How long will we be detained here in this centre?" says Salomon
"We are not getting enough to eat and drink. This is why our bodies are skinny."
"Our bodies are also itchy. When we appeal for medicines from the immigration officers, we are ignored."
"They only give attention to those who are severely ill. Those of us who just started getting infected are ignored."
Many comments in the post urged compassion from the authorities when treating detainees
At the time of writing, it is uncertain why the post was taken down.
When The Vibes reached out to the Immigration Department for a statement, it refused to comment on the allegation.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has also yet to respond to the issue.
The news portal reported that issues concerning the ill-treatment of Indonesian migrant detainees in several detention centres in Sabah had surfaced since last June.
According to New Straits Times, the last deportation of illegal immigrants, which is the 19th series, was on 24 November, involving 124 Indonesians.
They were deported from Kota Kinabalu, Papar, and Sandakan depots through the Tawau port.
