HUMAN Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) urged the Government to set up an independent body to investigate the riot triggered by Rohingyas at the Sungai Bakap immigration depot.
“The independent investigation must not include representatives from the Home Ministry. With that, we also urge the authorities not to reprimand those re-arrested following their escape.
“We must also steer clear from instilling hatred among Relau locals against Rohingyas who are still at large,” its children commissioner Prof Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal said in a statement.
On April 20, 528 Rohingya detainees escaped from the depot following a massive riot. Six of them died after being hit by vehicles, including two children, on the North-South Expressway while 130 detainees, comprising 99 men, 21 women, five boys and five girls are still on the run.
Kedah police chief Datuk Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad said his team has recaptured 420 of them so far.
Upset with the deaths of two children, Aziah said that during her visits to immigration depots in Lenggeng and Belantik, she found the centres overcrowded and understaffed.
She acknowledged that it was complex dealing with Rohingyas as they are unable to return to Myanmar due to international customary law – which mentions the principle of non-refoulment which guarantees that no one should be returned to their country if they are subjected to persecution.
“While Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, we are a party to the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
“And Article 22 of the CRC states that the State must ensure that a child who is seeking refugee status or who has been determined to be as such shall receive appropriate protection and humanitarian assistance,” Aziah reminded.
Protect Rohingya kids
The commissioner added that a child seeking asylum or granted refugee status are entitled to the four basic principles of the CRC which states that children should not be discriminated against, be treated with humanity and respect, have their voices heard and prioritise their best interest.
“Therefore, we call upon the Government to place Rohingya children in an alternative detention centre. They must be put in a more secure and conducive environment. The immigration depots must also be immediately filled with more staffers.
“As for the Rohingyas in general, the Government must look into giving them UNHCR cards, particularly those who were involved in the riot.
“The UNHCR’s resettlement programme is also needed to resettle them to a third country as long-lasting solution to the problem,” Aziah mentioned. – April 25, 2022.
Pic credit: Al Jazeera
