Prisons Dept plans to replace eight old prisons with new facilities

MELAKA - The Prisons Department plans to replace eight prisons that are more than 100 years old with new buildings in stages.

Its Prison Policy Division senior director Ajidin Salleh said the move was necessary to replace the irrelevant latrine ‘bucket system’.

"Penang prison is the oldest, followed by those in Taiping, Batu Gajah, Muar, Alor Setar, and Seremban. All these prisons still use the bucket system.

"The Prisons Department is working to replace this outdated facility with a new one. We frequently receive complaints, particularly from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) regarding this issue,” he told reporters here today.

He said this after the launch of Tuan Husain Beladar’s Memoirs Exhibition at the Prison Museum in Banda Hilir which was officiated by Melaka State secretary Datuk Azhar Arshad.

Ajidin said, however, that upgrading all the prison buildings is expected to take a considerable amount of time, as it needs to be included in the next Malaysia Plan.

In another development, he said Melaka residents will enjoy free admission to the Prison Museum from Aug 24 to Dec 31 in conjunction with Visit Melaka Year 2024.

He said that free entry will also be available to all visitors, including foreign tourists, on Aug 24 and 25, in conjunction with the birthday of Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.

"From Jan 1 to Aug 18 this year, the museum recorded 98,000 visitors and ticket sales amounting to approximately RM220,000.

"The number of visitors to the museum has increased from about 45,000 during the same period last year, proving that it is a preferred destination for tourists, especially those interested in learning about Malaysian prison institutions,” said Ajidin. - BERNAMA