VOCR
29th April, 2010
Kuala Lumpur

by Salai C C

Amongst 500 assumed of Chin refugee detainees, Mr. Thang Kung Bawi of 16 yrs old detainee from Matupi in Lenggeng detention camp is said to be suffering from stomach problem caused by unhygienic foods and contaminated drinking water provided in the camp.

A minor detainee was arrested by immigration, while he was traveling to Johor Bahru to start a new job along with other 15 of Chin co-workers whose status are refugee, too, in a raid on road on 17.11.2009 and directly hurled him to Lenggeng detention center because he is less than 18 years old and cannot be detained in any prisons or jails in accordance with the detention laws.

It was said by other inmates that Mr. Thang Kung Bawi’s stomach pain was suddenly started paining and fainted after he ate breakfast on Tuesday morning. He is very nervous due to his suffering in his level of age and cannot eat any nutrient foods since being sick.

"We cannot clarify his illness yet despite consulting with a doctor for twice because the doctor didn't express what kind of sickness he has been carrying out. But we believed that he might be suffering from stomach or appendix problem. His condition is now being worsened and he may not surely recover unless the authority has hospitalized him. The medicine which was given by the clinic also is not adequate to be stimulated rapidly for recovery," his co-inmates said when contacted by VOCR.

Another detainee, even more, in block (A) who declined to give his name said that a Bangladeshi detainee had died after suffering from the same disease which symptom is very close to Thang Kung Bawi’s in January due to lack of health care service. I guessed that he was able to recover if the authority admitted him to the hospital as soon as they detected his sickness. We are therefore very worrying and wondering that Mr. Thang Kung Bawi’s present condition cannot be saved or improved as long as the camp authority are neglected to hospitalize this ill-person as in the past or the UNHCR rescue team does not intervene for his release, he cited.

According to a confirmed source, around 19 Chin refugee detainees including the sick, two UNHCR card holders and other three persons already interviewed by UNHCR are still remained encamped in block (A) in Lenggang Detention Camp while the rest are in line waiting the UNHCR registration for the recognition of refugee status.

Mainly and pivotally, the Chins became refugees in Malaysia is not to be a purposeful action but to come in search of refuge and running here to escape from the ongoing brutal persecution because of the religion and the minority ethnicity. And human right is only flown in the air.

Controversially, the world seems not too much convinced that the military regime is still cutting off all the development factors that can bring about in all the ethnic areas in 4 destructive weapons; such as education, information, transportation and food supply.