Rela - Malaysia's Answer To The Gestapo.
On paper, Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (RELA) is a good idea. But like many well-intentioned ideas gone awry, Rela today stands accused of scores of criminal acts befitting thugs and others of that leaning. The objectives and role of Rela as originally intended were indeed relevant to the needs of the nation. See below....
# OBJEKTIF: Membentuk sebuah jentera keselamatan sukarela sebagai usaha untuk mengembeling penglibatan rakyat dalam membantu memelihara keamanan dan keselamatan negara.
# PERANAN: Untuk membantu, memelihara dan mengekalkan keselamatan dan keamanan negara.
# Sebagai Benteng Ketiga Pertahanan Negara.
How nice the whole thing reads! On top of those lofty ideals, one of the requirements is that the members should not have a criminal record. So either Rela has been lax in its selection or the transformation into criminals took place after they joined the organization.
Their criminal activities have been reported internationally for their culpability in the murder of migrant workers at the open market in Selayang. Their nefarious deeds seem to especially to focus on 'soft' targets like refugees and asylum seekers.
No one denies that they have the right to assist the authorities in their national security duties, but this should be done according to procedure and with strict respect for human rights. They shouldn't indulge in brutality and robbery as this The Star report reveals. Read on......
......Police are investigating claims from five factories that Rela members had detained 64 foreign workers, assaulted others and stole their cash and valuables during raids.
Management staff of the five factories near here alleged that at 1.30am on Saturday, a team of 30 to 40 Rela members turned up to look for illegal foreign workers. Half of the Rela members were not in uniform.
All the company spokesmen condemned the way Rela members conducted their search for illegal workers. The five companies: Rhong Khen Industries Sdn Bhd, Golden Components Industries Sdn Bhd, Hsin Foong Manufacturer Sdn Bhd, Latitude Tree Furniture Sdn Bhd and Lam Yam Furniture Sdn Bhd have lodged reports at the Klang police headquarters over the incident. Representatives for the factories held a press conference at one of the factories yesterday.
They also claimed that hand phones and cash belonging to their workers had gone missing after the raid.
Rhong Khen Industries Sdn Bhd management staff Lim See Keong claimed that 18 of his foreign workers had been detained during the raid.
“All five factories are unhappy with the method used to search the premises as our workers have legal work permits,” said Lim.
“We also feel that such raids put fear in our workers and furthermore our workers claimed to have lost hand phones and cash after the raids.”
Golden Components Industries official Khoo Chong Kai said seven of his Nepalese workers were detained, while a Hsin Foong Manufacturer Sdn Bhd staff said 16 foreign workers from his company were detained. Khoo said all workers had valid work permits but at 1.30am it was difficult to produce the documents as they were kept in the office. “Detaining the workers is not a proper thing to do as it only disrupts operations of all our factories,” he added.
According to them, their workers had been detained at the Semenyih Detention Camp.
Earlier, workers of Latitude Tree Furniture Sdn Bhd claimed that Rela members had beaten them with canes and iron rods, leaving welts on their bodies when they refused to open the doors.
According to a factory supervisor, 23 of his workers were detained while two Bangladeshi workers sustained head injuries and were given outpatient treatment here. Pressmen were shown plywood doors with gaping holes and knobs missing, which the Rela members had allegedly damaged in their effort to get into the workers’ rooms.
Klang acting OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof confirmed that five factories had lodged reports over the matter.
“We also received a report from Rela and investigations are being carried out,” he said.
****** I leave it to you the readers to judge for yourselves whether this is the way that our country's Rela should be doing their duty and if this the kind of publicity that the nation needs.
# OBJEKTIF: Membentuk sebuah jentera keselamatan sukarela sebagai usaha untuk mengembeling penglibatan rakyat dalam membantu memelihara keamanan dan keselamatan negara.
# PERANAN: Untuk membantu, memelihara dan mengekalkan keselamatan dan keamanan negara.
# Sebagai Benteng Ketiga Pertahanan Negara.
How nice the whole thing reads! On top of those lofty ideals, one of the requirements is that the members should not have a criminal record. So either Rela has been lax in its selection or the transformation into criminals took place after they joined the organization.
Their criminal activities have been reported internationally for their culpability in the murder of migrant workers at the open market in Selayang. Their nefarious deeds seem to especially to focus on 'soft' targets like refugees and asylum seekers.
No one denies that they have the right to assist the authorities in their national security duties, but this should be done according to procedure and with strict respect for human rights. They shouldn't indulge in brutality and robbery as this The Star report reveals. Read on......
......Police are investigating claims from five factories that Rela members had detained 64 foreign workers, assaulted others and stole their cash and valuables during raids.
Management staff of the five factories near here alleged that at 1.30am on Saturday, a team of 30 to 40 Rela members turned up to look for illegal foreign workers. Half of the Rela members were not in uniform.
All the company spokesmen condemned the way Rela members conducted their search for illegal workers. The five companies: Rhong Khen Industries Sdn Bhd, Golden Components Industries Sdn Bhd, Hsin Foong Manufacturer Sdn Bhd, Latitude Tree Furniture Sdn Bhd and Lam Yam Furniture Sdn Bhd have lodged reports at the Klang police headquarters over the incident. Representatives for the factories held a press conference at one of the factories yesterday.
They also claimed that hand phones and cash belonging to their workers had gone missing after the raid.
Rhong Khen Industries Sdn Bhd management staff Lim See Keong claimed that 18 of his foreign workers had been detained during the raid.
“All five factories are unhappy with the method used to search the premises as our workers have legal work permits,” said Lim.
“We also feel that such raids put fear in our workers and furthermore our workers claimed to have lost hand phones and cash after the raids.”
Golden Components Industries official Khoo Chong Kai said seven of his Nepalese workers were detained, while a Hsin Foong Manufacturer Sdn Bhd staff said 16 foreign workers from his company were detained. Khoo said all workers had valid work permits but at 1.30am it was difficult to produce the documents as they were kept in the office. “Detaining the workers is not a proper thing to do as it only disrupts operations of all our factories,” he added.
According to them, their workers had been detained at the Semenyih Detention Camp.
Earlier, workers of Latitude Tree Furniture Sdn Bhd claimed that Rela members had beaten them with canes and iron rods, leaving welts on their bodies when they refused to open the doors.
According to a factory supervisor, 23 of his workers were detained while two Bangladeshi workers sustained head injuries and were given outpatient treatment here. Pressmen were shown plywood doors with gaping holes and knobs missing, which the Rela members had allegedly damaged in their effort to get into the workers’ rooms.
Klang acting OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof confirmed that five factories had lodged reports over the matter.
“We also received a report from Rela and investigations are being carried out,” he said.
****** I leave it to you the readers to judge for yourselves whether this is the way that our country's Rela should be doing their duty and if this the kind of publicity that the nation needs.
posted by The Malaysian. at 12/04/2006 12:22:00 PM
8 Comments:
This blog post was not entirely based on that incident. This post shows that RELA has been suspect in alot of brutal 'enforcement' activities. It is a troubling statistic. It brings into question why does Malaysia have so many enforcement agencies with such powers normally just accorded to the police?
yeah, i think it's safe to say that this is a systematic problem.
don't forget how easy it is to 'become' a rela member!
Let the police investigate and issue a report. Until then no one knows the exact story.
too much power bestowed on RELA.
they are like part time paramilitary force. put a leash on them before they ask for guns.
I think RELA is sucks! They act like a punk! They all are not educated! They catch Indonesian people with reason, although they are legal! They catch for money, 80 ringgit, ha...ha... Fuck off and died!!!
I'm appalled by this.
I just came across a recent news related to RELA and their raids in Bukit Mertajam mall.
my only question is, why is the government ignoring this serious matter?
RELA is already under the Human Rights Watch, which from this article has expressed displeasure with their handling of immigrant situations and has suggested that this "voluntary force" be disbanded immediately.
but WHY hasn't it?
I have also did some research on this particular topic and found that a lot of the RELA volunteers are poorly educated if not uneducated.
Why has the malaysian government allow such a force to run amok?
Why havent they acknowledged this issue? This has been going on for years.
my conclusion: either the malaysian government is utterly oblivious & blind, or they have no sense of responsibility towards the country and nation.
rela sucks they are stupid fools.They don't know what they are doing.They have no consideration at all cos they even arrested a pregnant womam who is about her ninth months.I wish this will come someday to their wives and they will know how its feel like.they all suck and stupid fool and also home affair minister Sayed Hamid Alba, you are stupid, heartless,bastard like your rela force.
two weeks so called training to become a Police-Rela or Rela-police (whatever you named these freaks)? more innocent arrest or more innocent unrest?
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