JOHOR BARU: The plight of the 108 Sri Lankan refugees at the Pekan Nenas Immigration Detention Centre will be settled soon following intervention by Sri Lankan High Commissioner Don D. Ranasin-ghe and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The centre’s commander Zainal Abidin Ibrahim said Ranasinghe and UNHCR representatives visited the facilities to check on the refugees recently and the problem was expected to be resolved by next week.
The 108 were detained after being caught without proper documents at a hotel here last month.
Zainal Abidin also denied reports that the refugees went on hunger strike recently, saying that they were provided with three meals a day.
“Some of them had refused to eat initially but we managed to persuade them to take the food.
“All of them are being treated well by our personnel here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam also expressed optimism that the problem would be resolved by next week.
He explained that he had held talks with UNHCR and was scheduled to meet representatives of the Home Ministry to discuss the matter.
The Sri Lankans, he said, did not want to return to their home country as they claimed to have been through very bad experiences there.
“I hope this matter can be resolved fast just like the problem at the KL International Airport detention centre which was resolved on Friday.
“A total of 98 Sri Lankan refugees at the KLIA detention centre were handed over to the UNHCR while 90 others will face action by the Immigration Department,” he said.
The centre’s commander Zainal Abidin Ibrahim said Ranasinghe and UNHCR representatives visited the facilities to check on the refugees recently and the problem was expected to be resolved by next week.
The 108 were detained after being caught without proper documents at a hotel here last month.
Zainal Abidin also denied reports that the refugees went on hunger strike recently, saying that they were provided with three meals a day.
“Some of them had refused to eat initially but we managed to persuade them to take the food.
“All of them are being treated well by our personnel here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam also expressed optimism that the problem would be resolved by next week.
He explained that he had held talks with UNHCR and was scheduled to meet representatives of the Home Ministry to discuss the matter.
The Sri Lankans, he said, did not want to return to their home country as they claimed to have been through very bad experiences there.
“I hope this matter can be resolved fast just like the problem at the KL International Airport detention centre which was resolved on Friday.
“A total of 98 Sri Lankan refugees at the KLIA detention centre were handed over to the UNHCR while 90 others will face action by the Immigration Department,” he said.
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