No case of torture to death at Juru Immigration Dept - EAIC

Investigation by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) found no case of Cambodian and Vietnamese detainees being tortured to death at the Juru Immigration Detention Depot in Penang, as was reported by the media.

EAIC chairman Datuk Yaacob Md Sam said following the report by the Cambodian and local media last Aug 17, the commission, accompanied by two officers from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), conducted a surprise visit to the depot on Aug 22.

He said, there were 595 detainees at the depot, including 289 Myanmar nationals.

He said the EAIC investigators interviewed 10 female detainees, including Kheng, 18, the only Cambodian woman at the depot.

"Kheng, who was detained since July 1 for not having valid travel documents, confirmed the good treatment by Immigration officers and that no detainee was tortured since she arrived at the depot," he added.

Yaacob said before Kheng was sent to the depot, 17 Cambodian women were held there between December 2015 and June 2016, and they were deported to Cambodia last July 13.

Therefore, EAIC concluded that the allegation of illegal immigrants being tortured to death is baseless, he added.