CHERAS – Police have stopped using roadblocks in the search for the remaining 28 undocumented migrants who escaped from an immigration detention centre in Bidor earlier this month, and will only launch manhunts based on reports from the public, the home minister said.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said 101 out of the 111 who escaped had been caught, while two others died in road accidents.
“We know that they will come out of hiding and go to surau or villages in search of food. Villagers who see them must immediately report to the authorities,” he said during a visit to the Central Brigade of the General Operations Force in Cheras today.
Roadblocks had been mounted by police and the Immigration Department since the February 1 incident, when 131 male detainees escaped from the depot.
Saifuddin added that the detention centre in Bidor was not a proper premises for such a purpose, and was in fact a former National Service Training Programme facility.
“It is not originally meant to be an immigration depot, so there are some shortcomings.
“Those who escaped and who have been caught are being placed at a different location. In the meantime, we are deciding if the Bidor depot should still be used as an immigration detention centre or not,” he said.
Saifuddin today also said that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was allowed to enter immigration depots for inspections.
The ministry has good relations with the UNHCR, and as part of data-sharing collaboration, grants the agency access to depots.
He was asked to comment on calls by the UNHCR for access to meet detainees following the February 1 break-out from the Bidor facility. – February 16, 2024