Downplaying a report on deaths in such centres in Sabah released by a group of Indonesian NGOs, Hamzah had said he could not have predicted the deaths in the centres and added that “sometimes people die even while walking”.
“Hamzah’s nonsensical remarks, particularly when addressing an issue relating to foreigners, do little to inspire confidence in our government in the eyes of the international community on matters pertaining to human rights,” Ramkarpal said.
“Does Hamzah not realise that the gist of the concern in the report was not about ‘predicting’ deaths in detention centres but about appalling conditions in the centres,” said the DAP national legal bureau chairman.
Ramkarpal said instead of making “absurd comments”, Hamzah should look into the concerns raised in the report and give assurances that the government was committed to improving the conditions in the centres.
On Saturday, a group of Indonesian NGOs, the Sovereign Migrant Workers Coalition (KBMB), released a report stating that the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta had recorded 149 Indonesians who died in five Sabah detention centres over 18 months between 2021 and 2022.
The report said poor conditions in the centres contributed to the detainees’ poor health, with KBMB also claiming that the detainees were not referred to hospitals when they fell ill.
Meanwhile, Johor PKR Youth legal bureau chief Lau Yi Leong called for Hamzah’s resignation over his comments, which he described as “extremely shocking”.
Stating that Hamzah seemed to imply that deaths in custody were “normal occurrences” beyond the government’s control, he said the KBMB report warranted a thorough investigation into how detainees were treated while in custody.
“Any death in custody should raise concern,” he said in a statement.
“If the government led by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob still maintains any belief (in) human rights, I call upon the prime minister to immediately remove Hamzah Zainudin as the home minister,” Lau said.
He also called on Ismail to form a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the conditions in immigration detention centres, alleging that there was widespread corrupt practices within the department and a rising number of deaths in detention centres.