Depot Breakout: MPs mull RCI

SHAH ALAM - Two Northern-state lawmakers mulls for a Royal Commission Inquiry (RCI) on undocumented migrants and refugees following immigration depot outbreak on Wednesday.

Kangar MP Noor Amin Ahmad and Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul said the situation has gotten out of hand in the country and that the responsible parties must be aware of the current conditions of these detention camps nationwide.

Noor Amin said the public believes that a RCI would help get the real facts behind the detention centres issues and to determine the next possible course.

“Thorough investigation is needed and the related Parliamentary Select Committee must act fast.

“They must take heed of this so proper measures can be taken,” he told Sinar Daily.

He added that safety measures at depots nationwide should increase their ability to practice human rights and security of the detainees.

Meanwhile, Johari told Sinar Daily he had mixed feelings about carrying out the RCI and although it would help resolve the issue once and for all, he highlighted that there were other ways to solving the matter.

He said although he would support the move for an inquiry, he suggests the administration put their political interest aside and provide the refugees with training and employment.

Speaking as the Special Select Committee on Security chairman, he said that the administration should take advantage while the immigrants and refugees were here.

“I spoke in parliament before that we should categorise refugees as labour or foreign workers and employers could be their sponsor to eliminate hiring immigrant workers at a high cost.

“Register these individuals in the biometric system since we urgently want workers and provide the necessary training to employ them.

“Additionally, through this system, the authorities could monitor in case they commit any crimes and those who are with children, we send them to school to have proper education,” he said.

Johari said locking them up in detention centres should not be an option as it would only lead to overcrowding.

The government, he said, needed to look at it as a big issue that needs to be settled once and for all.

He said it was important to keep them from coming in as the country already had to deal with those present here.

“We are arresting them and putting them in a cage, it doesn’t solve the problem,” he said.