Coronavirus: Malaysia opens new jails for virus flouters

Malaysia is to open 11 new prisons for lockdown violators and the Philippines is threatening martial law to enforce restrictions.

A member of Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department sprays disinfectant at a closed shop in Karak, outside Kuala Lumpur, at the weekend. Picture: AFP

Malaysia is to open 11 new prisons for violators of its COVID-19 lockdown and Philippines authorities are threatening mass arrests and martial law to enforce restrictions.

The two nations are already enforcing some of the harshest lockdown orders in Southeast Asia but the fresh crackdowns have prompted warnings over human rights abuses and the possibility that mass imprisonment could create new clusters of the virus.

Malaysian authorities have so far arrested close to 15,000 people since its movement control order came into force on March 18, with more than a third of those facing court. Many of those arrested spend at least a night in police lock-up.

Among those detained were three golfers, sentenced to three nights’ imprisonment for trying to sneak a quick 18 holes, and out-of-work migrant workers desperate for food.

In The Philippines, some 30,000 people have been arrested, and almost 4500 detained, since President Rodrigo Duterte enforced a lockdown across the island of Luzon — including the capital, Manila — last month.

Mr Duterte warned last week that he would impose martial law to enforce the lockdown if the public continued to disregard restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the virus that has now infected 6259 Filipinos and killed 409.

“I’m just asking for discipline,” Mr Duterte said in a late-night tele­vised address. “If you don’t follow and you don’t believe, then the military and police will take over. The military and the police will enforce social distancing and curfew. It will be like martial law.”

On Monday, national police chief Archie Gamboa ordered Man­ila police to earmark detention facilities for lockdown violators. The move is an inverse reaction to that of neighbouring Indonesia and Myanmar, which have released tens of thousands of prisoners each in recent weeks to relieve pressure on already over-crowded jails, although both countries have been criticised for excluding political prisoners and prisoners of conscience from the release schemes.

Cristina Palabay, director of The Philippines-based Karapatan Human Rights Group, said arrests included those of six relief workers delivering food aid to poor families on the outskirts of Manila on Sunday, who were detained despite having an accredited pass and were now facing sedition charges.

“This is no different from the 21 people from the slums arrested earlier this month when they went out to inquire about food aid,” she told The Australian. “There is no logic in putting 30,000 people in jail for minor violations like this.

“The government is using the pandemic as an opportunity to further instil fear and to impose a formal declaration of martial law.”

In Malaysia, Defence Minister Ismail Yaakob said at the weekend 11 new prisons would operate out of refitted police academies from April 23 to house lockdown violators who would be treated no differently to other prisoners.

The government was forced to look for alternative detention facilities after its prisons department pleaded with it to stop placing violators of its MCO in already over-crowded jails where social distancing was “impossible”.

Under the MCO, only essential workers — such as doctors, nurses, food delivery drivers, police and military and supermarket workers — may leave their homes for reasons other than buying groceries, takeaway meals or medicines.

Charles Santiago, a Malaysian MP and chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said the move was counterproductive because of the risks it could create of new clusters of infection, just as the country was getting the outbreak under control.

Malaysia has 5389 confirmed cases of COVID-19 but just 89 deaths.

“Putting people in prison at this time is not a prudent idea because they could be carriers and spreading it to others,” Mr Santiago told The Australian.

“People are being detained for two or three days, which is enough for transmission to occur.”

Activist group Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together also urged the government to reconsider, given each prisoner would have to be placed in isolation until they could be tested for COVID-19.