Call for independent probe into human trafficking allegations

Call for independent probe into human trafficking allegations

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Charles Santiago says the Home Ministry’s credibility is at stake

STOP being in denial and investigate the sale of illegal immigrants at the Malaysia-Thailand border to human trafficking syndicates.

Aegile Fernandez says she received calls from illegal migrants

Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam says evidence is missing

Klang member of parliament Charles Santiago and non-governmental organisation Tenaganita, who made the call, urged the government to recognise the issue and set up an independent commission to investigate.

Santiago, who raised the issue in Parliament last year, says the Immigration Department must be transparent and reveal the process of deportation in the wake of accusations by the US Senate that Malaysian officials are involved in human trafficking of illegal immigrants, especially of Myanmar nationals, at the Malaysia-Thailand border.

He also criticised the Home Ministry's response last year that a special committee formed to investigate the allegations had cleared Immigration officials of the accusations.

"The credibility of the Home Ministry's committee is at stake now. They have failed. There is a need to set up an independent committee to investigate," he says, adding that the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suha-kam) can be part of the committee or conduct the investigation.
Santiago says he has personally heard of the ordeal some Myanmar men went through when they were sold at the border and had to pay their traffickers to come back to Malaysia.

Tenaganita Anti-Trafficking in Persons coordinator Aegile Fernandez says the authorities must address the issue quickly.

"This is organised crime and we need an independent commission to investigate, not have co-workers investigate each other," she says, adding that the United States had came to know of the issue while interviewing refugees who had resettled there.

She says Tenaganita also received calls from immigrants claiming to be at the border and asking for help to come up with the money to pay the traffickers.

"They usually asked bet-ween RM1,500 and RM2,500. In some cases, the traffickers asked the victims to deposit the money into a Malaysian bank account."

Fernandez, who alleges that Immigration is behind the whole operation, adds: "Who else has access to the detainees at the detention camps and is directly involved in sending them back?"

She says the immigrants are usually taken by lorry to the Thai border at night where men are waiting to take them away.

She says they will be given handphones to call their families and friends to get money for their release. They are usually given a week to get the money, failing which, they will be sold as forced labour or prostitutes.

"We have a case of a woman who was repeatedly raped because her family took a week to send the money."

Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam says the body has received several such complaints in the past two years.

"The issue has even been raised at international forums but it is difficult to compile the evidence."

He calls on the authorities to investigate and take action against those responsible.