[hr-education] Malaysia: Government mulls human rights course in training module

By P. SELVARANI 
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 23:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Human rights education may soon be included in the training module of Rela
personnel to make them more sensitive to treating the public with respect
and dignity.

The Home Ministry is considering this in the light of recent reports of
alleged abuses by Rela personnel when conducting raids and operations.

“Although these alleged incidents of abuse are not the norm, I acknowledge
that some overzealous Rela personnel can sometimes act beyond their
limits.

“But, don’t dismiss the whole organisation which has been doing a good job
for the last 34 years, because of a few rotten apples,’’ Deputy Minister
Datuk Tan Chai Ho told The Malay Mail yesterday.

He said the Ministry would ensure that all Rela members, especially the
35,000 personnel selected to take part in the ongoing Ops Tegas raids to
weed out illegal immigrants, are given sufficient training on the standard
operating procedures for such exercises.

“In fact, we will improve the existing training module and intensify our
training so that they are fully aware of what they can or cannot do. We do
not want the good name and image of this voluntary group to be tarnished
by a few black sheep,’’ he said, when commenting on recent Press reports
on alleged abuses by Rela personnel.

Two weeks ago, 23 bachelors who are housemates, alleged they were made to
‘duck walk' by Rela members in Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam after a neighbour
had complained about them making noise.

Last week, a food operator in Pandan Cahaya was allegedly ‘required’ to
pay RM4,000 to a Rela raiding party for the release of four illegal female
Indonesian workers.

The two alleged incidents prompted many quarters, including Selangor
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, on the need to enhance the
training for Rela members to ensure that they act within their
jurisdiction.

Dr Mohd Khir had cited poor training as one of the reasons the allegations
of abuse of power by Rela members had surfaced lately.

Tan, who said he was disturbed by the bad Press given to the organisation
recently, stressed that the 35,000 Rela personnel authorised to take part
in Ops Tegas were carefully selected from among 300,000 members, adding
that the bulk of them were former army personnel.

Of the number, he said only 212 officers were authorised to carry pistols
when conducting raids while the rest were equipped with batons. The
officers are ex-army personnel who are trained to use weapons. In each
raiding party, there is only one armed officer.

Tan said before every exercise, members of the raiding party were
thoroughly briefed on what they could or could not do.

“We even conduct body checks on every personnel before and after a raid to
ensure they do not carry any weapon. We even make them empty their pockets
to ensure they do not accept bribes during such operations.

“We are strict because although they are volunteers, we brook no nonsense
from them. We will not hesitate to sack anyone who abuses his power or is
involved in any unhealthy activity,’’ he said.

Tan also clarified that there was no need for Rela members conducting an
Ops Tegas raid to be accompanied by a police or immigration officer.

“Our Rela officers are empowered to only detain suspects. They cannot
conduct a body search, nor can they investigate. Once they have detained
the suspects, they have to bring them to the depot for further action by
the Immigration Department or police. Their duty ends when they bring the
suspects to the depot and lodge a report on the exercise.

“We do not even allow our officers to chase suspects who run away from the
cordoned area so it is not fair to point a finger at us when some of them
jump into the river to escape being caught,’’ he said, referring to the
case of a 35-year-old Indonesian, Ahmad Apik, who drowned in the Klang
River while trying to flee an Immigration raid, assisted by Rela, at a
restaurant in Jalan Klang Lama last month.
 
Source: The Malay Mail
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Thursday/Frontpage/20060223105123/Article/pp_index_html

 

 
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