AFP - 2/10/2009
Malaysian human rights group urge action on custody deaths
Malaysia's government-linked human rights commission (SUHAKAM) Friday called for better health conditions in immigration detention centres nationwide as 18 detainees die each month from disease.
"Deaths in custody are a very serious problem," SUHAKAM commissioner N. Sivasubramaniam told AFP.
"According to figures released in parliament which we compiled, 1,300 immigration detainees have died from disease in custody over the last six years which works out to 18 detainees dying every month," he said.
"These detention facilities must be improved as these detainees from Myanmar and other Asian countries come here, some have contagious diseases and some get sick from the poor conditions of the centres."
Sivasubramaniam said there was an urgent need to upgrade the 22 immigration detention centres nationwide where "many detainees die from tuberculosis, chikungunya and leptospirosis".
His comments follow the death in custody last week of six Myanmar immigration detainees who are believed to have died from leptospirosis, a water-borne bacterial disease caused by rat urine.
"What is also surprising is that immigration officers who are working with these detainees also do not get immunisation jabs and there is a lack of medical inspections in general," Sivasubramanian said.
"We are urging the government to ensure that all officers in these centres get these jabs, that they implement more health checks and those detainees found to have contagious diseases be isolated, treated and processed quickly."
Sivasubramaniam said SUHAKAM will forward their recommendations to the government. Home ministry officials could not be reached for comment.
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