Depiction Of The Real Condition At Simpang Renggam Detention Centre.

Malaysia is looking to improve conditions at the Simpang Renggam Rehabilitation Centre in Johor. Its 4000 inmates are said to be suffering from severe overcrowding.

For years, human rights groups have referred to the Simpang Renggam Rehabilitation Centre as Malaysia's Guantanamo Bay for the high number of inmates held indefinitely without trial.

Located some 200km south of the capital Kuala Lumpur, the centre is back in the news for the increasingly deplorable living conditions.

The Simpang Renggam Rehabilitation Centre was built to house 2500 inmates, but today there are more than 4000 being detained there for various offences, ranging from drug trafficking, gang fighting to hijacking.

Nearly half of them are held under the country's emergency ordinance that allows detention without trial. Apart from overcrowding, many inmates are said to be suffering from skin diseases.

37-year-old Sarasothi Maniam said she is heartbroken each time she visits her husband at the detention centre. "My husband's body is full of wounds and scabs. He's itching everywhere because the cell is so unhygienic. The bowls are never washed and are very filthy. Why are we tortured like this?"

With no source of income, Sarasothi said her three children were forced to drop out of school when her husband was thrown in jail five months ago for hijacking.

Leela Subramaniam, who gets to see her husband once every three months, also has the same complaints. "Meals are dirty and usually served late. My husband has scabies because the place is unhygienic."

The overwhelming complaints prompted a visit by senior ministers recently.
Many were deplored by what they saw.

"This is because they do not have the full supply of water. They don't have the opportunity to take bath daily, that's why they are suffering from a lot of skin diseases," said Samy Vellu, Works Minister, President of the Malaysia India Congress. Skin specialists will be dispatched to the cells.

The minister also said they would look into building more blocks to ease the congestion while water pumps would be installed to ensure adequate water supply. (Channel Newsasia)

The government's SemuanyaOK version: HERE
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