VOCR
5th April, 2009
Kuala Lumpur

by Salai C C

The demands and requests of NGOs with the camp authority in Lenggeng detention camp to be considered about a Chin refugee pregnant woman Thla Tin Sui seems to be pointless as the authority continues putting her unapproachable area by the husband and the community since she was arrested on the first nigh of August last year.

When news broke out last month saying a Chin refuge woman to give birth a new baby at the camp in March, a doctor from Tenaganita (NGO) with volunteer interpreter rushed to the camp and demanded the guards to have her medical check up or to meet her but it was ignored and they were rather forced to return without providing any assistance.

"I was very disappointed when the guards refused our claim. I cannot imagine how awesome to a baby be born behind bars because it may harm her psychologically and physically. But I would like to encourage her that we, the Chin people are ready to support if the authority allow us to do so," the NGO's volunteer interpreter said.

According to the husband, Thla Tin Sui was hospitalized at Seremban Hospital to give birth a new child under custody of the authority but no update information has been given yet despite being admitted her for more than three days in hospital. He stressed that his wife will deliver their first child unattended.

"Suffice for me to say that not only this issue hatches to outburst trouble for both our family and community but also it emphasizes that all the refugee women in Malaysia are facing the same condition. I went to the hospital and attempted to see my wife on Sunday but the guards allowed me only five minutes to stay with my wife. I cannot imagine my wife would be sent back to the camp after she delivered our first child in the hospital. I pray that my wife and my would-be-born child be healthy and strong enough to bear any difficulties and hardships in the unseen place, but I just can't think that how long my first prison-born child is going to spend its beginning life without the father's touch," says the would-be-father with tears.

We have been attempting to intervene and had called some organizations for collaboration to solve this problem. We heard that she was visited by the UNHCR team and there might be some positive result if that news was true. We are frightening that she and the baby will be sent back to the camp even though no one knows whether she has given birth the baby yet, Chin Refugee Committee said.