MP: Don't brush aside 'refugees for sale' claim

Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | Jan 16, 09 6:13pm

An opposition parliamentarian today urged the government not to brush aside human trafficking claims now that the US Senate is probing a 'refugees for sale' scam in which Malaysian immigration officials have been implicated. Previously, said Santiago, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar had responded in 'typical fashion' in Parliament on the matter by announcing the formation of a special committee to investigate the claims, which were first exposed last year by private television network NTV7. As predicted, it was "found" that immigration officials were not involved in trafficking of the Burmese or other refugees. This came despite testimonials to the contrary from numerous migrant rights’ non-governmental organisations as well as the victims themselves. "Either Syed Hamid is naive enough to buy the story dished out by the Immigration Department, which had set-up a special team to investigate its own officers or he is desperate to ensure Malaysia does not receive bad press worldwide," Santiago told Malaysiakini. The home minister, in his parliamentary written reply, said the Immigration Department would meet with NTV7, continue its investigations and punish errant officials if there is any truth to the claims. However, no such meeting has taken place so far. According to NTV7's Ngee Chong Wong who produced the 'Refugees for Sale in Malaysia' segment, neither he nor his cameraman had met anybody from the Home Ministry or the immigration department. "There's only two of us. Maybe they met with my superiors in NTV7 but I’ve never been informed of any such meeting," he said when contacted. 'Syed Hamid is not bothered' Commenting on this, Santiago said "it is obvious Syed Hamid is not at all bothered about the thousands of refugees in the country" who are either forced to live a marginal existence in the country or are sold into slavery on its borders. "Therefore, I urge the government to cooperate with staff members from the US Senate foreign committee who have already traveled to Malaysia, Thailand and the Malaysia-Thailand border for intelligence gathering. "This is not the time to conceal information. Neither is it the time to worry about Malaysia's reputation internationally," Santiago added. He said the government must immediately ratify the United Nations Refugee Convention and provide refugees with the necessary protection as stated in the Asean Charter as the first steps towards alleviating the conditions of refugees who live in Malaysia "sandwiched between skyscrapers and overcrowded flats."