Penang detention centre riot could be due to overcrowding

ALOR SETAR • Malaysian police said that overcrowding at an immigration detention centre in the northern state of Penang could have led to a riot which saw hundreds of Rohingya migrants escaping on Wednesday.

Kedah police chief Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad said investigations were continuing to pinpoint the cause of the incident at the Sungai Bakap temporary detention centre, which straddles the border between Penang and Kedah states.

"The case is being investigated according to Sections 147 and 224 of the Penal Code," he said on Wednesday. The sections refer to obstruction of a lawful arrest and rioting. Both sections provide for up to two years' imprisonment.

The riot led to 528 Rohingya migrants escaping from the detention centre. Six of them - two men, two women, one girl and one boy - were killed as they attempted to cross a highway. The police had arrested 357 of the fugitives by late Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Wan Hassan said 23 Immigration Department officers were at the centre when the riot broke out, and were overwhelmed by the detainees.

"However, no injuries were reported and there was only minor damage to the main gate and the fencing," he said. "There were too many detainees in a relatively narrow area and it became uncontrollable, with the detainees taking the opportunity to escape."

Mr Wan Hassan said the police have launched a search operation with their counterparts in Penang to track down the detainees who were still at large.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin said the stateless Rohingya were arrested for entering Malaysia illegally in 2020.

Meanwhile, security at immigration detention centres across the country has been beefed up.

Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the commandants at the centres had put all their premises under high alert. He said they have also been in communication with nearby police stations so that requests for assistance could be made quickly should there be another incident.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK